


The Tower

by Inyri



Series: The Savior Queen [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4142769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inyri/pseuds/Inyri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 4 finale AU: what if Regina was the one who remembered everything and spent all her time trying to save Emma?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Old Wookie Prisoner Trick

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first go at Once Upon a Time, so please send me your comments/critiques/etc. Viva la Swan Queen!

**Chapter 1**

There is pain in knowing.

Gold knew that, Isaac knew that, and Regina most definitely knew that. And _that_ was the reason she was left with all her memories of the past intact when everyone else lived in ignorance.

Regina stomped through the woods, a pack slung over her shoulder and the fur on her collar tickling her chin. At the moment, she alternated between daydreaming of Jimmy Choos and agonizing over the fact that Emma’s prison was as impregnable as ever.  She wasn’t entirely sure whose idea the tower had been, but she sure as hell wanted to teach them a lesson.

The fingers of her right hand twitched out of habit, but not even the tiniest flame erupted there. She had been stripped of her magic in this story and that fact tormented her every day.

The sky lit orange and pink as the sun made its final descent, casting long shadows over the open space between the woods and what Regina had to come to label as “Emma’s tower.”  She stopped right at the edge of the trees, watching the tall structure from afar. She knew better than to approach it. She’d learned _that_ the hard way and she had the burn scars on her wrist to prove it. She was in no mood to outrun a dragon tonight.  Instead, she leaned back against a tree and watched the sun set behind the tower.

Her mind ambled over ways to break into the prison. It would have been so easy with magic. But this time, she had to do without.

She thought, with a small smile, that Henry would have had a great name for the attempt to rescue Emma: Operation Swan Princess or some other such thing. But the thought just made her miss her son. Search as she might, she’d never found him in this timeline.

A sound from behind jarred her from her reverie. She spun around, hand reaching for the small knife in her belt, but her breath stopped when she recognized the gaze locked with her own.

“Henry?” she breathed.

It had been a lifetime since she’d seen him, but he looked as though he hadn’t aged a day since they’d all been ripped from Storybrooke.

He just smiled at her, looking for all the world like Emma.

“Hey, Mom,” he said. And Regina’s pack fell to the ground with a thud as she stepped toward him, eagerly gathering him to her.

“Henry,” she said, tears choking out her words. “How did you get here? How did you find me?”

“I’m a Charming, remember?”

Regina rolled her eyes at that, but she couldn’t stop the smile from taking over her expression. Happiness flooded her at the mere presence of her son and she replied,

“It seems that those infernal genes are finally working in my favor.”

She finally let him out of her embrace, holding him at arms’ length instead and taking in the sight of him. Henry just smiled at her, probably expecting her reaction. After a beat, he said,

“I’m here to help you rescue Ma.”

“You know?” Regina asked.

“I read the book,” he answered, holding up a paperback. Regina let out a sigh.

“Then you know that I’ve been trying with no success.”

“Yes,” Henry answered. “But you’ve been on your own. Now you have me. And I have an idea.”

Regina looked away, unsure,

“Henry, I—“

“Mom, trust me,” he interrupted. “This is going to work.”

*****

“This isn’t going to work,” Regina said, her voice muffled by the heavy bag over her head.

“Of course it is,” Henry answered, leading his mother by her arm into the tower as she held her hands behind her back, pretending to be restrained. “It worked for Princess Leia.”

“Please don’t tell me this is from X-Men.”

“ _Star Wars_ , Mom. Besides, no one in this realm has seen _Return of the Jedi._ We’ll be fine.”

The entire scheme reminded Regina of Emma. This was something she would do. _And_ she would have gotten the reference. A surge of something raced down Regina’s back, but she shook it off.

“Ok, Mom,” Henry said, pushing open the door to the tower, “it’s showtime.”

Regina let her head drop, her chin resting on her chest. Henry’s hands grasped her arm a fraction tighter and a memory – the sharp reminder of a loveless marriage – sprang up. She pushed it down, as she’d learned to do long ago, but bile still churned in her stomach.

The door creaked open, loud from disuse, and Regina squinted in the blackness of the bag. She wished she could see what was happening instead of relying on Henry and her sense of hearing.

“What do you want?” a gruff voice asked.

“I have a prisoner sent from the Queen,” Henry answered and Regina beamed at the confidence in his voice.

“I wasn’t informed of a new prisoner,” the voice answered. She heard suspicion in the speaker’s tone and knew that the time for action was near. She stopped breathing, simply listening, and she heard the softest pad of a footstep. Henry’s finger tapped on her arm, the signal they’d decided upon, and she didn’t hesitate.

She gave up on the prisoner act and pulled the bag off her head. The guard, startled by her unexpected action, stepped back. That shift in weight was all Regina needed to overpower the guard. She tackled the black-clad figure to the ground and quickly secured their sword.

Regina and the guard tussled for a moment but Regina won out by hitting the guard over the head with the hilt of the sword. The masked guard fell backward, unconscious.  Regina turned to Henry with a triumphant smile.

“Nice job, Mom,” Henry gushed.

“Let’s go get Emma.”


	2. Familiar Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to two great mixes as I wrote this -- "a graceless heart" by le-evil queen and "to run to you" by meqhanory (found on 8tracks)
> 
> Thank you for reading! More to come :)

The walls never changed. Only the sunlight filtering in through the tiny window displayed any variation in shape and color. It remained Emma’s only entertainment and her only companion in the tower room.

Her metal restraints clinked as she paced the tiny space allowed by the chains. She did her best every day to keep her muscles from deteriorating, but her conditions made it nearly impossible. The weakness and the constriction were wearing her patience thinner each day and Emma wondered how long she’d last.

When she heard the rushed clomping of feet coming up the stairs, she stopped her pacing. Instead, she stood completely still and slowly crouched into a stronger stance. She had no idea why it sounded like more than just her guard racing toward her. But even if it was just the dragon, she had to be ready.

She waited for what felt like a century, the pounding of feet continuous and determined. The shackles on her wrists felt especially heavy, keeping her firmly in place and erasing any hope of running to safety.

The door opened with a rush of air and Emma held her breath.

But it wasn’t her dragon prison guard. It was a lanky teenage boy with floppy brown hair and a gorgeous dark-haired woman dressed like she lived in the woods. They were both looking at her like they’d found something they’d lost long ago and had never dreamed of finding again.

The boy smiled kindly at her and Emma fought the urge to take a step backward.

“Hi,” he started carefully. “My name is Henry. I’m your son.”

Emma just stared. She wanted to shout _I don’t have a son_ , but something held her tongue. When she didn’t say anything, the woman spoke. Her smoky, emotion-ridden voice caught Emma’s attention immediately.

“Emma, just let us—“

“How do you know my name?” Emma demanded. At her outburst, the boy just smiled.

“Because you know us, too,” the woman explained calmly. “You just don’t remember it.”

Emma locked eyes with the mysterious woman and the genuine emotion there nearly made her knees buckle beneath her. It was as though they shared some huge, important past and she just had to flick a switch and remember it.

Deciding to use the situation to her best advantage, Emma straightened up as best as she could and said,

“Release me and I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. But we’ve got to get out of here before the dragon gets us.” That realization finally dropped and she added, “How _did_ you get past her, anyway?”

“Good old fashioned Wookie prisoner trick,” the boy answered enthusiastically. When Emma gave him a look of confusion, he said, “That’ll make sense later.”

“So, is she…?”

“She is simply unconscious,” the woman supplied.  “We should, in fact, hurry.”

“The key is hanging next to the door,” Emma said quickly. She knew too well where it was – just out of reach.

The woman grabbed the key off its hook beside the door frame and she approached Emma with an assured gait. The blonde stood completely still, hardly believing it was actually happening. It wasn’t just another one of her frustratingly detailed dreams.

The brunette’s hands were gentle as she unlocked the shackles. Occasionally, Emma felt the woman’s fingers brush against the delicate skin of her ankle or wrist and the feeling was both soft and electric. She had no idea what the sensation meant, but a sense of importance washed over her again. She wanted to ask a thousand questions, but she pushed the urge away, focusing on her escape instead. She was so close now…

The female rescuer accidentally rubbed the edge of a shackle against a portion of raw skin on Emma’s ankle and the blonde hissed without thinking.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said immediately, lifting her gaze to look into Emma’s face. The woman was a stranger to Emma but the intense concern in her eyes alone made Emma sure that the woman knew her and held some depth of emotion for her.

The question of who she was nagged at Emma’s thoughts, but she filed it away for later. Now, escape was at the top of her list of priorities.

The last ankle shackle fell from her and Emma stepped away from the contraption that had held her prisoner for so long. She turned to spit on it, muttering,

“Son of a bitch.”

“Well, I see you haven’t lost _all_  of your memories,” the woman said under her breath with a roll of her eyes.

“Let’s get out of here,” Emma ordered.

“And before the guard wakes up,” the boy added.

“I wonder if there are any horses nearby,” the woman started. “That could be very helpful.”

Emma looked down and said reluctantly,

“I don’t think I’d be able to ride. It’s been too long since—“

“You will ride with me,” the woman interrupted. Emma gave a small nod of gratitude, relieved that she hadn’t had to finish her sentence.

“Come on!” the boy pressed. He started out the door to the stairs and Emma followed, but her steps faltered.

Before she knew what was happening, the smaller woman was beside her, propping her up. Emma was glad for the support even though she tried not to show it.

“Don’t worry,” the woman said congenially, “the situation has been reversed more often than not.”

The familiarity with which the woman spoke of their mutual past, and the subtle ring of irony in her tone, gave Emma pause. It was simultaneously comforting and disconcerting.

“If you say so,” she muttered, focusing her energy back on navigating the steps of the tower. The boy – Henry, she reminded herself – ran ahead of them, bouncing lightly with unhindered excitement.

Slowly but surely, they made it to the bottom of the tower. Henry ran back to them, announcing,

“I found the horses! Let’s go!”

“Henry,” the woman said in a calm voice. “Why don’t you saddle the horses and we’ll meet you there?”

“Sure, Mom,” Henry replied with a grin, looking between the two women with a hopeful light in his eyes. Without another word, he bounded off.

Emma continued to lean into the other woman’s side, trying not to put _too_ much weight on her.

“You know,” she started, taking yet another measure step farther from the tower, “you’re saving my life and I don’t even know your name.”

“Regina,” she answered softly.

“Regina,” Emma echoed. “Interesting. You have the same name as Queen White’s stepmother.”

“Oh, so you keep up with kingdom politics in your confinement,” Regina spat and Emma nearly chuckled at the unexpected snark in the brunette’s voice. The woman’s gentleness up to this point had not prepared her for the biting remark. Emma found she rather liked it.

“Well, I didn’t have much else to do,” she replied, looking over at Regina’s face for her reaction. The simmering anger there resonated with Emma.

“So, what did Snow White do to you?”

The words left Emma’s mouth before she could stop them.  She felt Regina tense beside her.

“That,” she began slowly, “is a story for another time.”

Emma nodded to herself, filing that away for later, too.

They’d finally reached the stables and Emma could hear Henry inside, negotiating with what she assumed was an uncooperative horse.

“Woah, boy! It’s just a saddle, I promise.”

The women entered the dimness of the stable and Emma released her hold on Regina, taking a tentative step to the side as the other woman approached the unruly horse.

“I’ve got the other one done,” Henry explained, gesturing over his shoulder at the saddled brown mare in the other stall.

“Good work,” Regina said, stroking the unsaddled horse’s nose. She made soft shushing sounds to the disgruntled stallion and Emma found herself entranced by the sight of the woman’s full lips pursed with the calming sound.

Before she knew it, Regina had settled the horse and Henry had saddled it.

“We’ll take this one,” Regina said.

“I’m not really in the mood to get thrown from a pissed off stallion,” Emma said. Regina turned a serious expression on her and replied,

“I am an experienced rider. You will not be thrown.”

There was a challenge in the brunette’s dark eyes and Emma couldn’t help but rise to meet it.

“I’m holding you to that,” she said.

The very corner of Regina’s lips quirked upward in a way that made Emma’s mind go blank. She swallowed heavily, but she held Regina’s gaze.

“We’d better be going,” the brunette intoned. “I think I should help you mount…”

The two women looked at each other as though completely confounded on how to proceed. Henry’s gaze shifted between his two mothers, cataloging their consternation. Then he said,

“Come on, guys, we have to go! I’ll help you, Emma.”

Emma started at the ease with which Henry said her name. It made her begin to believe everything he’d already claimed to be true.

Regina led the stallion from its stall, now properly saddled, and brought it to Emma’s side. The brown beast stamped one foot impatiently and shook its mane a bit.

“Just put your foot in the stirrup,” Regina instructed calmly, “and I’ll help you get up. Once you’re up, I’ll do the rest.”

“Alright,” Emma replied, encouraged slightly by the woman’s boundless confidence. She slid her worn boot into the stirrup and took a moment to steady herself against the horse. She felt Regina standing beside her, just waiting to assist her. “I can do this,” she insisted. Regina didn’t respond.

Using all the strength she had, Emma pushed herself up onto the horse. For one terrifying second, she felt like she’d fall backwards, but two hands barely touched her waist and tipped her balance back in the right direction. A moment later, she was safely seated atop the stallion.

Without another word, Regina unceremoniously pushed Emma’s foot out of the stirrup and gracefully mounted the horse in one fluid motion. Suddenly she was seated in front of Emma on the saddle and Emma’s mouth fell open in awe.

“You weren’t kidding about being an experienced rider,” Emma said.

“Hold on,” Regina replied, grasping the reigns and encouraging the horse onward with a squeeze of her legs.

The horse jolted forward and Emma’s arms instinctively wrapped around Regina’s waist. She held on a bit too tightly at first, but she quickly loosened her grasp, trying to make the touch casual. It felt anything but. Excitement raced across Emma’s skin and she wondered at the intensity of it.

Regina led their horse out of the stable, turning to be sure that Henry was following.

“I’m fine,” he said, as though he knew what Regina had been thinking.

“We’ll head back to my place,” she said matter-of-factly.

“And then we’ll make a plan to fix all this,” Henry piped in.

Emma was about to give an overly unconcerned “sounds good to me” when she heard the familiar and terrifying rush of two huge, leathery wings beating the air. She looked over her shoulder and shouted in warning,

“Dragon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that some of Emma's language/mannerisms wouldn't make sense if she grew up in the EF (as she presumably did in this timeline), but I'm playing with the idea that Emma has her memories from her "real" life and they're just suppressed. So occasionally old phrases and such seep through without her really noticing. I just think it adds to the fun of the already crazy idea of a parallel/altered universe that the finale presents us with.


	3. A Funny Thing About Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, thank you for the readership and kudos! You guys are awesome :D I feel very welcome into the Swan Queen fold. It's my first shot at this and I'm so happy that you guys are pleased. More juicy stuff is on its way!
> 
> Also, FYI: this story isn't going to stay too true to the actual finale episode. I'm taking the concept and running in my own direction with it. Hope you like!

At the impending threat of a dragon, Emma clasped Regina’s middle intensely, pressing her front against the brunette’s back. The contact jarred Regina. The Emma she knew had never ventured so physically close to her unless it was to attack her. But even their fights felt hazy and disconnected from the relationship she had had with _her_ Emma – the real Emma back in Storybrooke— right before they’d been taken away to this timeline.

But before Regina could start to sort all that out, she heard the unmistakable beating of dragon wings and she kicked her stallion into a canter. She turned her head to make sure Henry was keeping up but she came face to face with Emma instead. The blonde’s usually focused and bright eyes were wide with fear and rimmed with exhaustion. The sight made Regina’s heart jump unexpectedly and once again she was overly aware of the way Emma clung to her for dear life.

She pushed down the instinct to pull away from the blonde’s grip, reminding herself that Emma’s physical closeness wouldn’t lead to violence. Not that she expected violence from Emma any longer, but that her body had learned to equate physicality with harm.

Henry’s horse came up beside theirs, his body bouncing a bit awkwardly on his cantering mare. Regina knew they both should transition to a gallop now that Henry had caught up.

“Henry,” she called over the pounding of hooves, “follow me. We’ll head for the trees where we can lose the dragon.”

Then, in a softer voice, she added to her seatmate,

“Emma, hold on.”

Regina pushed her horse into a gallop just as a line of fire erupted at their side. Emma clutched Regina even tighter, to the point where Regina worried for her oxygen intake, and the blonde started swearing loudly right into Regina’s ear.

“Not helping, dear,” Regina sassed. “I need to concentrate. We do have a dragon on our tails.”

As if on cue, the dragon swooped down over them and spit out a drag of fire right in their path. Regina pulled the horse up and turned sharply just fast enough to avoid being singed.

Once they were safe from the imminent threat, Regina turned her head to find Henry. But he was already ahead of them, closing in on the treeline. She zoned in on the trees and pushed her horse a bit faster.

“Almost there,” she told Emma. The blonde just nodded against her shoulder. Her desperate grip was loosening ever so slightly and Regina knew she must be tiring. Emma’s strength here was not what Regina had known it to be back in Storybrooke. And she found that fact upset her.

Regina focused on her mad dash to the safety of the forest. The dragon was loud and looming above them, its wings whipping up a mini tornado around them. Emma’s long curls wrapped around Regina’s face and she had to let go of the reigns with her one hand to push the blonde locks out of her eyes.

“Holy shit!” Emma screamed over the roar of the wind.

“Just hold on!” Regina shouted back. Another wave of fire just missed their left flank, steering them sharply again.

Finally, the trees enveloped them. A few caught fire around them, seemingly spontaneously, but Regina just kept moving forward.

After a moment of dangerous riding through too-dense foliage, Regina felt safe and she let her horse relax into a trot. She spotted Henry a few paces away, his horse ambling through the trees as though nothing had happened.

Regina let out a breath of relief and guided her horse into a slow walk. Emma slumped into her, resting her forehead on the brunette’s shoulder.

“That was a close one,” she muttered.

“I’m just grateful for the outcome,” Regina answered.

Henry came up beside them, his mare falling into step beside their stallion. He started babbling immediately, his voice full of adrenaline.

“That was crazy! Wow, Ma, that dragon really must hate you.  What did you do to it?”

“It’s a long story,” Emma answered wearily.

Regina felt the shift in Emma’s body before Henry’s gasp of reaction met her ears. She put out an arm and just barely caught Emma’s waifish form before she slipped off the side of the horse in a moment of exhaustion.

“Woah,” Regina said, trying not to be too aware of her arm straining against Emma’s body.

“Is Emma gonna be ok?” Henry asked quickly, moving his horse a step closer to his mothers.

“She just needs a rest,” Regina assured him.

“It’s getting dark,” Henry pointed out.

“We’ll move a bit further into the forest and then set up camp,” Regina explained. “I don’t think we’ll make it all the way to my cabin tonight, but I want to put a bit of distance between us and that beast.”

Henry just nodded, trusting his mother’s plan.

“Lean against me and hold on,” Regina instructed Emma. “You think you can do that?”

The tenderness Regina heard in her own tone took her by surprise. Surely, she’d never had the nerve to speak to her own Emma in that way.

“Yeah,” the blonde replied, winding her arms more securely around Regina’s middle.

“It will just be a few more minutes,” Regina assured her. Emma gave her a weak nod, her hair tickling Regina’s neck.

“Alright,” Regina said, trying to sound calm. “Let’s go.”

With Emma leaning heavily against her back and the blonde’s thin arms around her waist, Regina prodded her horse into a gentle walk. She couldn’t help herself from putting a hand on Emma’s arm at her waist.

_Just to be safe_ , she told herself.

*****

Fifteen minutes’ journey brought them to a small clearing. The sun had since slipped beneath the horizon and the last vestiges of light had all but disappeared with it.

Regina carefully dismounted and then helped Emma down. The blonde immediately sat on the trunk of a fallen tree as Regina tied up the horses and Henry scouted for burnable twigs. Regina watched Emma carefully as she tied the horses’ leads to a tree branch. She couldn’t stop being surprised by how pale and worn this version of Emma appeared.

She hesitated a moment, stroking the mare’s nose as she considered. Then, deciding, she reached into her bag for her canteen and approached the other woman. Without a word, she took a seat on the log beside Emma. The entire scene reminded her so much of their time together in Neverland, walking in circles but walking _together_ for once.

“We’ll rest here for the night,” Regina announced, handing over the flask of water. Emma took it gratefully and Regina continued, “Tomorrow we’ll head for my place. You’ll be able to recuperate there, if that’s suitable to you.”

Emma nodded, half listening and half focused on opening the canteen Regina had handed her. She pulled off the top with a strange sort of fragility and the idea that her body might give up at any moment stirred up a boiling anger in Regina’s chest. One thought dominated all the others: _Snow will pay for doing this to her._

Emma sipped the water as Henry dumped some sticks into a pile in front of them. He took a moment to evaluate his work and then he walked off again, disappearing into the forest. Regina let the silence hang between them, her anger still hot and violent.

“Why are you helping me?”

Emma’s words cut through the silence, soft now but promising a storm.

When Regina didn’t answer right away, Emma asked,

“Are we a couple? Or were we?”

This stopped Regina in her tracks.

“What?”

“Just asking,” Emma replied quickly. “I mean, Henry is supposedly my son and he calls you Mom. And you let me close to you, as if it’s normal for us. And a few times I thought…”

Regina’s defensiveness cropped up without any conscious effort.

“You thought _what_ , Miss Swan?”

Emma shrugged casually, but her words were full of weight.

“I thought that maybe something was going on between us.”

Regina felt her body lock up, words stuck inside her mouth, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get anything coherent out. She thought she might know why Emma felt this, why the tower had become an obsession to her—but she didn’t think she could admit it.

When Emma realized that Regina wasn’t going to answer, she moved ever so slightly away on the log and said,

“Listen, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your help. I _really_ do. But, honestly, I didn’t think that anyone knew I was in there, nevermind cared enough to break me out.”

“Henry needs his mother,” Regina answered.

“I don’t have a son,” Emma insisted. “Besides, he calls you Mom.”

“It’s complicated.” Regina took a breath, finally saying the thing that had haunted her for so long but now seemed like a gift, “But he _is_ your son.”

Emma’s brow furrowed, her gaze focused on the forest ground.

“You need rest,” Regina said, standing from the log. Emma didn’t make a smart retort in response and Regina realized that she’d been waiting for it. Its absence unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

She went over to her pack, pulling out her cloak and rummaging through her bag to distract herself for a moment. She looked over her shoulder to watch the wearied form of Emma Swan. Her entire posture was slumped down and forward, so unlike her usually strong presence. Regina let out a rush of breath and slowly returned to Emma’s side.

She held out the cloak to her and said,

“You should lie down. Henry and I will take care of the rest.”

Emma just gave her a tired nod and held out the canteen. Regina took it from her, their fingers brushing for the briefest moment.

“Thank you,” Emma said, her green eyes locked onto Regina. The brunette stopped for a moment, once again surprised by this version of Emma.

“Here, take this,” Regina said, breaking the moment and holding out the cloak again to Emma.

Emma looked at Regina’s offering like the entire exchange was a foreign concept to her. When her gaze finally lifted from the outstretched cloak to Regina’s face, something was alight in her otherwise drawn expression.

“Thank you,” the blonde repeated, standing from the log and taking a step toward Regina. Regina didn’t take a step back, so Emma was so close – right in her personal bubble like she’d been when they’d first met. Breathing the same air, existing in the same space…

Regina still held the cloak, its material the only buffer between them. She couldn’t do anything but stand completely still and attempt to understand the complicated expression on Emma’s face.

“Mom!” Henry called, breaking the tension. Emma took a step back, taking the cloak from Regina but looking down at the ground as though she’d been caught. Regina hesitated for the briefest moment before moving away toward Henry to help him start the fire.


	4. Firelight Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the hits, kudos, and comments on this story! I really, really appreciate them. :D
> 
> Just a heads up -- there will be other characters in this story. I just don't want to give them away by putting them into the tags until they've shown up.

Regina half-heartedly threw another stick into the fire from her place on the fallen log. A nearby owl hooted into the dark, the only sound to accompany her thoughts.

She let her gaze wander between the form of Henry, sleeping soundly on the forest ground at the far side of the fire, and the crumpled mess of blonde hair and dirty clothes that clumped a bit closer to her. She’d willingly taken her post keeping watch while the others slept. She doubted she could sleep even if the situation had been different and if she even had a desire to sleep. The look on Emma’s face from earlier played over and over in her mind. What had it been, lurking there in her eyes, when they’d stood so close? When Emma had gazed so intensely…

Regina jolted from her reverie at the sound of a loud gasp and a flurry of movement mere paces from where she kept watch.

Emma sat straight up, breathing hard, and looked around wildly, a stray curl stuck to her cheek. Regina stood instinctively, taking a step toward her, but the blonde seemed oblivious to her presence. Still a few feet away, Regina crouched down and said,

“Emma.”

The woman spun to face her, eyes wild, and Regina almost cringed at the sight.

“Where am I?” Emma demanded. Regina put out her hands to show she had good intentions.

“You’re in the forest just outside your tower,” she reminded the disoriented woman. “You’ve just had a nightmare. You’re okay.”

“The dragon—“ Emma began.

“Is not here,” Regina finished. “You’re safe.”

Emma nodded and stared out into space as if the events of the night were slowly filtering into her sleep-muddled brain. Regina watched the expressions drift over Emma’s face, the effect softened by the shadows created by the firelight.

“I remember,” Emma said softly. Then, embarrassed, she gathered Regina’s cloak around her and turned away as if intending on going back to sleep. Regina saw the sign to leave and stood, taking a full step back towards the fallen log.

“Could you—“

Emma’s voice sounded small and reluctant in the night’s quiet, but it stopped Regina in her tracks. She stayed rooted in place and waited for Emma to finish her sentence.

“Could you…maybe stay for a few minutes?”

Regina didn’t answer. Instead, she just took a few steps toward the blonde and crouched down beside her.

Emma’s back was stiff with tension as she laid on the ground beside Regina. The brunette hesitated, unsure how to help and even more unsure of where they stood. Emma was no stranger to her—they had a complicated past – but Regina _was_ a stranger to this Emma. And who exactly was this Emma? How had this timeline shaped her and how would she respond to Regina’s kindness? Because reaching out was suddenly all Regina wanted to do.

Finally, the older woman gathered up her courage and decided to act.

“Can I do something?” she asked, her voice a bit breathier than usual in the nighttime quiet.

“Is it true?” Emma asked, not turning to face Regina as she spoke.

“Is what true?”

“Do you really know me? Like in another time or place or whatever.”

“Yes,” Regina answered as simply as she could.

Now Emma rolled over to face her and Regina recognized that stubborn, uncertain look.

“Then why don’t I know you? Why don’t I remember?”

Regina let out a tired sigh.

“It’s a long story.”

“We have all night,” Emma pointed out.

This was the Emma she knew – defiant and demanding.

“Use your so-called ‘super power’ and see if I’m lying,” Regina challenged, almost glad to fall back into their old pattern of bickering. _This_ she knew. This was familiar territory.

Emma sat up, the cloak falling from her shoulders.

“How do you know about that?”

“You told me,” Regina answered, exasperated.

“In another life,” Emma clarified.

“Yes, in ‘another life,’” Regina said, rolling her eyes.

Emma made what Regina referred to as her “thinking face” and Regina waited, her legs starting to tire in her crouched position.

Regina stood up, hands on her hips, and she tried very hard not to lose her patience. Emma looked up at her, studying the brunette’s pose curiously.

Then, without any further prodding, Emma rearranged the cloak she’d been sleeping on so that there was room for Regina to sit beside her.

“Here,” she offered, gesturing toward the empty spot with her head. “Sit.”

Regina hesitated a moment, staring at the space on the outstretched cloak. Part of her didn’t want to back down, because conceding felt like giving in, but the other part of her didn’t want to fight. And thus continued the infernal struggle that always, _always_ began and ended with Emma Swan.

“Regina?”

Emma’s voice broke the silence and Regina realized that she’d been quiet for too long. Regina shook her head and gave in, taking a seat beside the blonde. And the silence continued for a moment more.

Then Emma turned her head slightly so she was almost looking at Regina and she asked softly,

“Can you explain all this to me? Not knowing is going to drive me crazy.”

Regina let out a breath and shifted nervously.

“What do you want to know?”

“How you know me, for a start,” Emma answered immediately. “And how I have a son when I have no memory of giving birth. And why he calls you Mom if I’m his mother. And who I was in this supposed other time.” She let out a frustrated huff of air and hurriedly ran her fingers through her mussed locks. “I can keep going.”

“No need,” Regina replied. “I can start by telling you that this…” she hesitated, searching for the right word. She settled on, “ _reality_ is not where any of us truly belong. It was fabricated with strong magic.”

“Wait,” Emma interrupted, “who has that kind of magic?”

“He’s called The Author,” Regina answered, her words biting. “But he goes by Isaac. And if I come across that—“

“You’re getting sidetracked.”

Regina stopped, stewing in her anger for a beat. Then, she continued with a newfound sense of calm,

“Isaac has rewritten all of our stories. But before he got his grubby little hands on our lives, you were living in a world without magic and you had a son.”

“Henry,” Emma supplied.

“Henry,” Regina echoed. “But you gave him up because you were in prison when you gave birth. I became his adopted mother.”

Silence fell once again as Emma processed what Regina had said.

“I have a son,” Emma said finally. “And I have you to thank for how well he turned out.”

Regina started at Emma’s words, turning to look at her. Memories of their first month together in Storybrooke flashed through her mind and she was jarred by how different that had been from this.

“He did turn out well,” Regina said, the beginnings of tears in her eyes despite her best effort to keep them at bay. Regina hoped Emma couldn’t see them in the dim light of the fire.

“And it’s obvious that he adores you. I can only hope he likes me, too. If I am his mother.”

“You are,” Regina insisted. “And he does.”

“We’ll see,” Emma said. Shifting a tad, she took a new tact. “And Snow White? How does she factor into this?”

Regina sighed, steeling herself for this portion of the conversation.

“I was forced into marriage with her father,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, “and she’s your mother.”

“ _What?!_ ” Emma shouted, turning her entire body to face Regina.

“Not so loud!” Regina hissed. “You’ll wake Henry.”

“My mother!” Emma whispered. “My own mother put me in the tower! And you—“

Emma’s eyes grew wide as the shock of Regina’s revelations washed over her.

“You’re the Regina who defied the Queen.”

Emma’s whisper was full of awe. Regina stiffened at the tone of worship in Emma’s voice and she half-worried the woman would start bowing. Instead, Emma rose to kneeling and grabbed Regina’s shoulders.

“You’re my hero,” Emma declared.

Regina shook off Emma’s touch, retreating into herself and muttering,

“I am no hero.”

“But you are,” Emma insisted.

Regina just shook her head, looking away from Emma’s intense gaze. Emma changed the subject, asking,

“So, how do I get these supposed memories back? How do I remember?”

“I’m not sure,” Regina answered honestly. “Usually True Love’s Kiss can break any spell or curse, but I’m not sure this is either.”

“Even so,” Emma said, “I’m not exactly sure what qualifies as ‘True Love’s Kiss’ in the first place.”

“You had it with Henry,” Regina said, “back in your real timeline. You broke one of the darkest and most powerful curses ever cast with a simple kiss on his forehead.” Regina didn’t want to mention that she’d been the one to cast it.

“Woah,” Emma said, her mouth hanging open.

“Maybe it will work again,” Regina said cooly.

“But I barely know the kid,” Emma said, sitting back down and tapping her own leg in frustration. “How can I possibly _love_ him? And True Love? I seems like a stretch to me.”

Regina let out a sigh.

“Well, there’s no use in worrying about it today,” she said. “I’m sure Henry has come up with ten different ideas already anyway. You should sleep.”

Emma nodded, reluctantly giving in. Regina, knowing she’d done her job for the time being, gave a curt nod and stood, instinctively smoothing down her pants as though she still wore designer clothes. She moved to walk back to her post on the log when Emma called after her,

“Regina?”

Regina turned back to her, waiting.

“I’m sorry for what my mother did to you,” Emma said softly. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Regina couldn’t move. She’d never thought in all the realms and in all the timelines that she’d ever hear Emma say those words. The shock manifested itself as a tingling in her fingers and for a brief, crazy moment, she thought that maybe her magic was returning to her.

She flipped her wrist in her usual gesture, her gaze locked on her hand. But nothing came. Not even the slightest spark.

“Damn Author,” she muttered to herself and turned from Emma, going back to her solitary seat on the log. She felt Emma’s gaze on her and she knew the woman must be confused, but she didn’t have the energy or desire to explain or make any more emotional confessions. She just wanted to sit with her thoughts – alone and safe and what she was used to.

Regina sat on the log, settling in for a long night, but Emma’s voice interrupted her, saying,

“Goodnight, Regina.”

“Goodnight, Emma,” Regina answered softly.

Then, with one more tentative smile in Regina’s direction, Emma turned away and laid down to sleep. Regina watched the blonde’s back for a moment, trying to calm herself with the other woman’s stillness. A slight shiver ran down Regina’s back as she realized that Emma _trusted_ her. She trusted her to give her the right information and she trusted her to protect her while she slept. Emma thought she was a hero.

Regina wasn’t sure how to deal with these things. But she was sure of one thing: she was grateful for them.


	5. The Challenge of Being Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the details are different than they are in the finale. I'm trying to stay close, but I'm really changing things as I please (so please don't hold me to the actual finale episode!). 
> 
> Thank you for all the hits, comments, and kudos. You guys rock! Viva la Swan Queen!

“Emma? Emma? Are you awake?”

Emma cracked open one eye to find a teenage boy hovering over her, concern in his expression.

_My son_ , Emma reminded herself. _Maybe._

“Hey,” Emma croaked, opening both eyes.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” he said, smiling. “You sleep like a rock.”

“What does that even mean?” Emma inquired, slowly sitting up and running her fingers through her sleep-rumpled hair.

“It means that you’re difficult to wake,” another voice added and Emma turned to see Regina putting out the last of the fire. The morning sunlight was golden around them, reflecting off the woman’s ebony black hair.

“Did you sleep okay?” Henry asked.

“Yes, actually,” Emma answered.

“Well, at least one of us did,” Regina said. “What I wouldn’t give for a skinny vanilla latte right now.”

“A skinny what?” Emma asked, standing and picking up Regina’s cloak in the process. Regina just shook her head in response to Emma’s question and Henry piped in,

“When we get back, we can all go to Granny’s and get hot chocolate.”

Emma purposely watched Regina’s reaction as she shook out the cloak. The woman seemed on edge and Emma couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Sounds like fun,” Emma said even though she had no idea what Henry was saying. She stepped toward Regina, holding out the cloak.

“One thing at a time,” Regina replied. “Let’s get to the cabin and then we can figure this all out.”

Emma nodded her agreement and Regina took the garment from her. She took it quickly, void of all the sensitivity of the night before. Regina went over to the horses and Emma drifted over to Henry.

“Is she usually this cranky?” she asked in a whisper. Henry smiled and leaned closer conspiratorially.

“When she hasn’t had her coffee, yes.”

“I’m not deaf,” Regina said, not turning from untying the horses. Henry smiled but Emma felt a bit more wary of the woman.

“We should get moving,” Regina said gruffly.

Emma just nodded, not daring to argue.

*****

The horses ambled along, the morning light soft around them. Emma sat up straighter in the saddle, purposely giving the brunette some space. Henry chatted amicably, directing most of his conversation at Emma.

It was only about an hour to Regina’s cabin. It finally emerged, a lighthouse in a sea of trees.

“There it is!” Henry announced. “It’s even better than how he described it in the book.”

Emma frowned in confusion, but she noticed that the comment made Regina brighten up a bit.

“It isn’t Mifflin Street,” Regina replied, “but it will do.”

“Does it have a bed?” Emma blurted out before she could stop herself.

“And a bath,” Regina bragged. “Which, to be honest, you need a bit more than the bed.”

“The tower wasn’t exactly accommodating,” the blonde commented.

“Then I will gladly let you use my bath for all our sakes.”

“And your bed?” Emma pushed.

“Gods sakes,” Regina answered. “We’ll see.”

A few minutes later, the horses were tied up, watered, and fed. Soon after, Henry and Emma were exploring Regina’s little cabin while she looked on.

“Did you build this yourself?” Henry asked, falling into the wooden rocking chair that occupied what he’d labeled the living room.

“Actually,” Regina answered, “Robin Hood and his merry band of thieves did. I saved his life and he built me a house.”

“Robin Hood?” Henry repeated. “Isaac didn’t mention that in the book.”

“Book?” Emma asked, deciding to finally address Henry’s cryptic comments. “What book?”

Henry jumped out of the chair and pulled a glossy paperback out of his jeans’ back pocket. He held it out to Emma and answered,

“The book that created this timeline.”

Emma flipped through the pages and stopped when she saw her name.

“I’m in here!” she said. Regina turned away, crossing her arms across herself in a protective gesture. Emma started to read from the book, “ _Princess Emma pulled at her chains, desperate to escape the prison that Snow White had built for her. The evil Queen knew—_ “

Regina interrupted with one, bitter laugh and Emma looked up from the book.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s just so ironic,” Regina started. “They used to call _me_ the Evil Queen. I suppose this timeline got one thing right.”

“I don’t get it,” Emma continued. “How does this book even exist?”

“Magic,” Henry answered.

“Strong magic,” Regina clarified.

“And we have to find a way to break it,” Henry continued, “so that you can get your memories back and we can go back to how things are supposed to be.”

“What’s your plan?” Emma asked, uncertainty hanging in her voice.

“I think it’s best to go with the tried and true method,” Henry said. “True Love’s Kiss.”

Emma smacked her leg with the book.

“Easy enough,” she said. “Why don’t you just let Regina kiss you?”

Henry shook his head.

“It won’t work,” he said. “I’m not part of this timeline, not really. I can’t affect it that way. It’s up to one of you two.”

“Then how did you get here?” Emma asked. Henry shrugged.

“Magic.”

“This is so confusing!” Emma said, burying her fingers in her hair.

“Don’t hurt yourself, dear,” Regina deadpanned.

“My point,” Henry said, his voice a bit louder as though to steer the conversation back on track, “is that one of you will have to break this.”

“But how?” Emma asked. “I don’t know anyone, nevermind have a ‘True Love.’ In case you forgot, I’ve been locked in a tower for most of my life.”

“But what about before Grandma locked you up?” Henry inquired. “Who did you live with? Who did you know?”

“I was raised by werewolves,” she answered.

“That explains a lot,” Regina said.

“It was only until I was nine,” Emma countered. “And they were very civilized.”

“Wait!” Henry interrupted. “Were they Granny and Red?”

“Yes,” Emma answered. “How did you know?”

“I guessed,” Henry answered. “Apparently Isaac only has so many characters.”

“This is useless,” Regina said, throwing up her hands. “A savior without her memories, a crotchety, trigger-happy werewolf, and a sex-obsessed boyfriend-eater are not going to fix this. Besides, I’m pretty sure Red has a thing for Rumple’s girl anyway.”

“Mom, don’t give up on this so easily,” Henry said and Emma echoed simultaneously, “Boyfriend-eater?”

“There has to be a solution to this,” Henry insisted. “We just have to figure it out.”

Regina softened a bit at Henry’s words, giving him a sad smile.

“Henry, I know you want this to work out. But it doesn’t look good.”

“What about you?” Henry asked. “Maybe we just have to find your True Love.”

Emma looked over at Regina, unknowingly holding her breath as she waited for Regina’s answer.

“My True Love died long ago,” Regina said. “You know that.”

“But maybe you have another one,” Henry said. “What about Robin Hood? You two seem to get along.”

A strange look passed over Regina’s face and Emma felt her stomach clench up. She gripped the book in her hand, unconsciously bending it.

“Hey, Ma,” Henry started, reaching over to take the paperback away from her, “careful with the source material. It’s all the help we have.”

“Sorry,” she muttered. He flipped through the newly-retrieved book, obviously looking for something.

“Maybe Robin Hood _is_ the answer to all this,” he said.

Regina opened her mouth to comment when Emma cut in,

“Isn’t he a criminal or something? I’ve only heard a little about him, but he doesn’t seem like Regina’s type.”

“You forget, dear,” Regina said, “that I’m an outlaw, too.”

“Still,” Emma said. “I think you deserve better than some lowlife thief. You’re royalty for one, and you’re just…“

Regina waiting for Emma to finish the thought, but when she took too long, Regina gave up on waiting and sighed instead.

“You don’t even know him, Ma,” Henry said. “And I think it’s worth a shot.” Then, turning to Regina, he said, “If that’s alright with you, Mom.”

Regina didn’t answer right away. Emma watched as the other woman processed the situation and she found herself hoping that the idea of Robin Hood getting involved would be shot down.

“I’m not sure,” Regina said carefully. “He does have someone else in this realm.”

“It can’t hurt to try,” Henry countered and Emma wanted to slap the kid upside the head. Regina looked away and when Henry saw that, he quickly added, “You know what, forget about Robin Hood. Probably wouldn’t work anyway.”

Emma let out a breath of relief at Henry’s change of heart, but Regina was not so easily persuaded.

“Henry…” she started.

“I know that look, Mom,” he explained. “Obviously pursuing my Robin Hood idea is a waste of time. There has to be a different answer. Maybe it has to do with happy endings instead of True Love. I have to do more research.”

Regina smiled at him and he smiled back. Emma watched their exchange, enthralled.

The moment passed and Henry said,

“Mom, you should take a nap. You need some sleep.”

Regina nodded, fully feeling the tiredness that had been dogging her all morning. Henry smiled triumphantly and flopped down into the rocking chair again, pouring over the book. Regina headed off toward her bedroom and Emma carefully followed.

Regina was mulling about her room, preparing to undress, when she noticed Emma standing in the doorway.

“Can I help you?”

Emma shrugged and answered,

“I just haven’t seen a bed in a very long time.”

Regina stood in the middle of her room, hands on her hips and observing Emma closely. After a moment of deliberation, she let out a sigh and put up her hands in surrender.

“Stay on your side.”

Emma smiled at the prospect of sleeping in a bed.

“Really?” she asked.

“But first, clean clothes,” Regina answered, moving to a wooden chest at the end of her bed. She rifled through it and Emma tried not to stare at her behind.

Regina produced a short, cotton nightgown and handed it to Emma.

“I know it’s not leather, but it’ll do.” Emma looked at her in confusion, but took the proffered clothing. “Washroom is that way,” Regina added, pointing and making it very clear that she was meant to leave while Regina changed. When she didn’t move, Regina rolled her eyes and walked toward her.

Once again, Emma let Regina step close. She found she enjoyed the inexplicable energy that crackled between them when they stood close and locked gazes. Regina reached behind Emma and grabbed the doorknob, her arm brushing against Emma’s side.

“Well, Miss Swan, are you going to let me change so I can get some well-earned sleep or are you going to stand in my doorway and gawk all day?”

“Sorry,” Emma replied, taking a step backward and clutching the clothes to her chest. Regina slowly closed the door between them and Emma found herself in awe of how the other woman could make something as simple as closing a door look sexy and mysterious.

Just before Regina actually closed the door between them, she stuck her head out and said,

“Knock before you come in.”

Then she shut the door and Emma was left staring at the blank wood.

“Wow, Ma, everything makes sense now,” Henry said, rocking on the chair with the book in his hand.

“What do you mean?” Emma asked, finally turning away from the door to face him.

“Well,” Henry began, “you always kind of sucked at dating guys. Now that you don’t know anything, it’s so obvious. You like girls better!”

Emma stepped even farther away from Regina’s bedroom door, as though the brunette could sense Emma’s less-than-innocent thoughts.

“Not so loud!” she berated Henry. “And what do you mean I ‘sucked at dating guys’? What does that even mean?”

“Let’s just say you didn’t do so well in relationships with men,” Henry clarified.

“I see,” Emma said. “It’s still weird that you know more about my life than I do.”

“It’s okay,” Henry replied. “Trust me, we’ve all been there. Magic has a way of making people lose their memories really easily.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

And with that, Emma headed for the washroom, hoping she could behave and stay on her side of the bed for the next few hours.


	6. Something More

Regina woke in the early afternoon, feeling rested and extremely comfortable after the rigors of their adventure the day before. The day was warm and the light was pleasant and, for some reason, everything felt right for the first time in a long time.

It took her a moment to wake up enough to feel the weight laid across her torso. The realization jolted her out of her half-asleep state and she sat up slightly to see what was going on.

Emma, still completely asleep, was sprawled out over her. The blonde’s head was nestled into her shoulder, an arm was draped across her stomach, and a hand was tucked into the far side of Regina’s waist. Emma’s nightgown had hiked up during her sleep and her bare legs tangled into Regina’s in a way that was completely foreign, since Emma had never been even remotely close to Regina in this way, but that felt right somehow.

Regina swallowed hard and slowly laid back down. Emma shifted in her sleep at Regina’s movement, grasping Regina’s waist tighter and pressing her nose into Regina’s neck in a way that made Regina’s stomach flip over. She laid completely still, trying to decide what to do.

Was this Emma so starved for human attention that she was latching on to the closest person? Or did she have a hero complex in regards to Regina? Or was it something more – the spark between them she’d felt since their first encounter or the unnamable _thing_ that had been growing in Regina’s heart for a long while now? She couldn’t be sure and the not knowing was bound to drive her mad. 

She waited, relishing the long-desired feeling of Emma lying beside her, and pretended that it meant something. She worked hard to keep her breathing calm and even, not wanting to wake Emma. Her heart raced regardless and she worried it would give her away.

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door and Henry’s voice shouted through the barrier,

“Moms! There’s someone here to see you!”

Regina thanked the gods that Henry had known better than to just barge in.

Emma woke with a start, grabbing onto Regina even tighter in the process. Regina quickly schooled her features, trying to appear simultaneously half asleep and annoyed.

The blonde sat up, her hands still on Regina’s middle, and shook her head as though to clear away the sleep.

“Wha--?” she started, finally looking down to recognize how she and Regina were situated. “Um…” Regina sighed.

“I asked for one thing,” Regina said. “Was it really that difficult for you to _not_ use me as a human pillow?”

“Sorry,” Emma said, quickly disentangling herself from Regina. The brunette stayed where she was, not even bothering to pull down the part of her nightshirt that had ridden up her thigh. Instead, she waited for Emma to finish and then she gracefully got out of bed.

“Get up,” she said. “We have a visitor.”

Regina really wondered who it was that had showed up at her cabin and what sort of reaction she’d get when she emerged from her room with a nightgown-clad Emma.

“Who’s here?” Emma asked, rolling reluctantly out of bed.

“I don’t know,” Regina answered, fixing her hair in the mirror. In the reflection, she caught Emma watching her.

“We can’t all look like we just got into a tussle with an ogre,” Regina commented. Then, with a final swipe of her hand through her hair, she said, “Let’s go.”

Without waiting for Emma, Regina opened the door and stepped out of her room with the confidence of a queen.

Regina came face-to-face with her favorite member of Robin Hood’s merry band.

“Mulan,” Regina said, “what brings you out this way?”

The woman stood beside a slightly confused Henry, clad in full armor and her hair a bit more messed than usual. Her expression was composed, but Regina could see concern in the corners of her eyes.

“You have to flee this place,” she said without preamble. Then Regina heard Emma pad out of the room and stand beside her. Mulan’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s true,” the warrior woman said. “You actually broke out the Princess.”

“I had help,” Regina offered. Emma piped up next.

“Who’s this?”

“I’m Mulan,” the woman answered without hesitation, addressing Emma directly. “And you have to flee immediately. The Queen is on her way here.”

“My mother!?” Emma shouted.

“Snow knows?” Regina asked simultaneously.

Mulan looked from one woman to the other, finally stating in her calm way,

“Yes, the Queen knows that Emma has escaped and she suspects you, Regina. She’s on her way here as we speak. I rode as fast as I could to warn you. Robin extends his protection, if you wish to take it.”

Regina took a moment to consider, but Emma reacted immediately, saying,

“She’s coming _here_? And why does she suspect Regina? And what does she plan on doing when she gets here? And why aren’t we getting the hell out of here!?”

“Grandma’s evil in this timeline,” Henry added, speaking up for the first time. “Who knows what she’ll do.”

Mulan looked at Henry, a look of profound confusion breaking through her strict, stoic manners.

“I’ll explain later,” Regina told her. “Now, we have to saddle up the horses and get out of here. We’ll head for Robin’s camp. It’s the best plan we have for now.”

“On it!” Henry said, sticking his book into his jacket and running out the front door. Regina also jumped into action.

“Come here,” she said, grabbing Emma’s arm and pulling her into the bedroom. “You have to get dressed.”

“I’ll help the boy,” Mulan said, disappearing out the door of Regina’s cabin.

Regina poked around in her clothes chest for something suitable for Emma. She pulled out a loose, white shirt and a pair of black leather pants.

“Here,” she said, throwing them in Emma’s direction. “Change quickly.”

Emma caught the clothes right before they hit the ground. Regina turned back to the chest to find something for herself. When she’d found something and pulled it out, getting ready to change into it, she looked up to see that Emma hadn’t moved. She was just standing there, watching Regina.

“Do you _want_ your mother to find us?” Regina snapped.

Without another comment, Emma turned her back to Regina and pulled the nightshirt over her head. Regina couldn’t bring herself to look away. Her gaze followed the shape of Emma’s pale back, somewhat amazed that she was finally seeing something that had only been a figment of her imagination for so long. She found that Emma was upsettingly small, her ribs a prominent feature of her silhouette.

Emma looked over her shoulder, catching Regina looking, and she said,

“I hope this Robin Hood guy knows how to cook because I’m starving.”

Regina tried not to seem embarrassed when she said,

“I’ll grab something from the pantry for the ride.” Then, snapping back into the urgency of the situation, she turned her back on Emma and changed without another glance in her direction.

*****

Their horses moved quickly through the forest, Mulan leading the way to Robin Hood’s camp. Regina kept Emma quiet by supplying a steady stream of bread, cheese, and cured meats from her pack. Henry mulled through different plans for fixing the timeline, all of which focused on finding either Regina’s or Emma’s happy ending.

Regina let him talk without interruption. She was extremely content just listening to his voice – proof that he was there, with her, again. She felt the pressure of danger, of the possibility of Snow ruining it all, but right then everything just felt _right._ She’d realized long ago, in the depth of her loneliness in this horrid timeline, that Emma and Henry were all she’d ever wanted and all she’d needed to feel content. And they were the two people she couldn’t have. Until now.

The sound of pounding hooves in the distance shook Regina from her thoughts and silenced Henry. All four travelers stopped and listened.

After a tense moment, Mulan said, “That is the sound of a carriage, four horses. We must move quickly.” Regina kicked her horse into motion without hesitation.

“What does that mean?” Emma asked in a panic, shouting over the thundering of hooves and the rush of wind.

“That means that your mother is closer than we thought,” Regina answered. She felt her jaw tightening at the thought of Snow and how quickly her entire world could fall apart. Henry’s horse came up beside Regina’s and her heart swelled momentarily at the look of determination on his face.

“Let’s hope Grandma has a slow coach driver,” he said, hardly hiding the excitement in his voice. Regina knew that all the Enchanted Forest adventure was new and thrilling for him, but all she could feel was dread sinking low in her stomach.

The three horses galloped along the edge of the forest road, the sound of a carriage drawing nearer and nearer.

“We need a plan,” Regina shouted. Mulan nodded and pulled her horse to a stop.

“I’ll hold them off,” she said. “Continue on to the camp. It’s just ahead in that clearing Robin likes to occupy this time of year. You know where it is from here, correct?”

“We’ll make it,” Regina said, slowing her horse slightly. “You don’t have to—“

“Take the boy and the Princess and go!” Mulan ordered. “No argument.”

Regina was taken aback by Mulan’s tone but then she remembered that the warrior thought she was just another thief. Regina’s Evil Queen had never reigned in this timeline. Having Emma and Henry around had shifted her thoughts—had made her forget this timeline she’d been trapped in for too long.

Emma and Henry…

Regina didn’t argue with Mulan anymore. She gave her a nod of gratitude and urged her horse back into a gallop.

“We can’t just leave her,” Emma protested.

“She knows what she’s doing,” was Regina’s reply.

“But—“

“Think of Henry,” Regina interrupted. Emma gave a huff of angry air, but didn’t contradict her.

They rode on without any further conversation. Emma held on tight again, her hurried breathing loud in Regina’s ear, and Regina had to use all her self-control to not dwell on how it reminded her of waking up with Emma Swan wrapped around her. Instead, she tried to listen for the carriage and to focus on finding Robin’s camp.

A moment more of agitated riding and Regina knew they were close. She could smell the tell-tale scent of recently cooked meat and the riotous yelling of male voices. She let out a breath of relief as they galloped straight into the heart of Robin Hood’s camp.

Little John was the first to spot them. He stared wide-eyed for a moment and then disappeared into a nearby tent. Regina dismounted, helping Emma down next, as the merry men congregated around them.

Robin Hood emerged from the tent Little John had entered a moment before. His gaze found Regina immediately. Regina stood a little taller, her chin tipped ever so slightly upward.

“Regina!” he said, walking toward her with his mouth hanging slightly open in the way it always did when he was surprised. “You came.” His focus turned to Emma, who stood beside Regina. “And you have the Princess. It’s true.”

“Thank you for extending your warning and your invitation,” Regina answered. “We won’t burden you for long.”

“Well, I won’t let you leave while you are still in danger,” Robin insisted, taking a step closer to Regina. “Stay with us. We will protect you.”

“Thank you,” Regina said, “but I can handle things.”

“We have the resources,” Robin said. “Let us use them.”

“Do you have scouts on the perimeter?” Regina asked.

“Yes.” Then, as if suddenly noticing, he asked, “And where is Mulan?”

“She stayed behind to slow down Snow,” Regina said, the bite gone from her voice.

“She’ll be back,” Robin said with an uncertain smile. “She always comes back.”

“Uh, don’t mean to break this up,” Emma said, finally speaking up, “but don’t you think we should be doing something since the Queen is headed right for us?”

Robin Hood jumped into action as though he’d forgotten, giving directions to his men and rushing around the camp. Emma drifted closer to Regina’s side and said under her breath,

“We’re trusting this guy to save us from my mother?”

Before Regina could answer, Henry appeared at her other side and said,

“Mom, we need a plan.”

Regina let out a breath, her mind racing through the possibilities. She felt her hand go instinctively to the knife in her belt.

She opened her mouth to answer when Will Scarlet raced into the camp. He was nearly falling over himself as he shouted,

“The Queen is coming! The Queen is coming!”

Emma looked right at Regina and Regina started at the visible fear in Emma’s eyes. She opened her mouth again, wanting to say something reassuring, but she found she had nothing to say. She could only see her own fear of Cora reflected back at her.

Then the blonde eloquently voiced what they were all thinking.

“Ah, shit.”


	7. The Magic of the Queen

Emma couldn’t move – the thought of her mother here, staring her in the face, kept her feet rooted to the dirt of the forest floor. She swallowed against the huge lump that had balled up in her throat.

She felt a light pressure on her hand and looked down to see Regina gently squeezing her fingers. She lifted her gaze to Regina’s face, but she found it blank, giving away nothing.

The moment lasted but a second. Then, Regina jumped into action.

“Get me a bow,” she ordered, moving over to where Little John was giving out directions to the others. Emma moved to stand next to Henry, who was smiling a bit too much given the situation.

“I’m going to see if they’ll give me a sword,” Henry announced.

“Kid, I don’t think your Mom—“ But before Emma could finish her sentence, he had run off. Emma just stood in the middle of the busy camp, feeling a bit lost and more than a little anxious. A sword sounded like a good idea; although she had no idea if she had the strength to hold one, nevermind actually use it. And the Queen had magic. What could she do against that?

A touch on her arm brought her back to the world around her.

Regina stood beside her, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. The woman looked as fearsome as Emma already imagined her to be from the stories she’d heard of her back in the tower.

“Stay with me,” Regina instructed. “And take this.”

Regina reached into her belt and pulled out a knife, handing it to Emma. Emma took it gratefully, turning the slightly warm metal over in her hand.

“I know it’s not a sword,” Regina said, “or even your gun, but it’s the best I can do.”

The familiarity with which Regina spoke hit her again, making her feel as though she was missing something. Something _huge_. It made her believe that if she thought hard enough, maybe she could remember everything.

The rattling of carriage wheels and the thundering of hooves floated on the air toward them and Emma’s entire body tensed. Regina drew an arrow, loading it into her bow, and Robin Hood’s men began to form a blockade around them. Henry appeared at her side, a short sword in her hands.

So with Regina on one side and Henry on the other, Emma felt as ready as she could be to face her mother.

The Queen’s black carriage barreled into the camp, led by four horses and surrounded by an attachment of black guards and dwarves. Emma stood a little taller, preparing for the worst, as Robin’s men met the first wave of attack.

The clanging of swords and shouts of aggression filled the air as the battle began. Emma stayed close to Regina’s side and Regina held her bow at the ready, her gaze shifting from one potential threat to another. Only one dwarf broke through the front line, but Regina quickly brought him down with an arrow in his thigh.

Emma’ attention shifted to the carriage when the door opened, held by a blonde man in all black, and a woman stepped out. She wore an elaborate gown and her short, dark hair was coiffed up. She surveyed the situation haughtily, casually throwing a fireball toward a clump of merry men. Then, she turned and locked eyes with Emma.

The blood drained from Emma’s face and she took a step closer to Regina, who loaded an arrow and took a step forward to block Snow’s view of the blonde.

“Stay back,” Regina snarled. The Queen ignored her with a wolfish smile, continuing her painfully slow path toward them. Her loyal Charming kept at her side. They walked through the fighting easily, as though everyone knew to make a clear way for the Queen.

Before long, the Queen and her lapdog were in earshot of Regina, Emma, and Henry. Snow was still smiling and this worried Emma to no end.

“Regina, Regina, Regina,” she said. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone. You had to go and let out my most psychotic prisoner. And now, I have to kill you.”

“I don’t think so,” Regina said, her bow pointed directly at Snow’s throat. Emma shivered at the confidence in Regina’s voice and she wondered where the woman found such boldness.

“Come now,” Snow said with a small laugh, swishing her large skirts as she paced closer to them. “You know you can’t possibly win this.”

“I can certainly try,” Regina answered, her eyes narrowed. Emma looked at Regina, impressed and encouraged by her sudden fierceness. Then, she looked around and realized that everyone had stopped fighting to watch the showdown between the Queen and Regina.

“Sure you can try,” Snow agreed. “But you can never succeed.” She held up a hand and a fireball blossomed in her palm. “What can you possibly do against my magic?”

Emma and Henry turned to Regina, eager for her answer. It seemed like the entire camp was waiting for Regina’s answer. But it never came.

Snow gave up on waiting and shrugged, saying,

“And now, you die.”

At that very moment, Regina let her arrow fly. Snow easily deflected it, throwing it to the side with her magic. With her other hand, she raised the fireball she’d already conjured and threw it directly at Regina.

Three things happened simultaneously. First, Regina turned her face away, lifting her hand to shield herself from the incoming fireball. Second, Emma stepped in front of Regina, putting out both of her hands as though she could push away Snow’s magic. And third, Snow fell to the ground with a yelp, the fireball veering off course.

Emma stared in shock at the fallen Queen and Regina turned back to investigate when no fireball consumed her.  Snow laid on the ground, a throwing knife embedded in her shoulder and blood gushing from the wound.

“Assist the Queen!” Charming yelled, falling to his knees beside Snow. Robin Hood and his men took the opportunity to regroup around Emma, Regina, and Henry. A few men nursed injuries, but they stood tall around the three nevertheless.

Charming picked up Snow in his arms, racing back to the carriage. The guards and dwarves followed and the merry men cheered at the obvious retreat. The moment Snow was inside, the carriage took off. Emma turned to Regina and asked,

“What the hell just happened?”

Regina didn’t answer; instead, she inclined her head toward the tree line. Mulan, still holding a short knife and looking a bit worse for the wear, stood there.

“I told you she’d be back,” Robin said. “And just when needed.”

Mulan took a few steps in their direction, her expression showing the subtlest shade of concern.

“Are you alright?” she asked Emma and Regina.

“Thanks to you,” Emma replied, a hint of hysteria breaking into her tone.

“Yes, thank you,” Regina said, her voice a bit more collected.

Mulan just gave a nod of acknowledgement and said,

“The Queen _will_ return. We need a better plan.”

“Agreed,” Robin piped in.

“We should fall back to a place that is easily defended,” Mulan suggested.

“What are our options?” Robin asked.

“My cabin,” Regina answered immediately.

“But Grandma knows where that is,” Henry commented.

“But it might be our best choice,” Mulan said. “It is defendable and nearby. We would have an advantage there.”

Little John broke into their circle, a look of urgency on his face.

“Robin,” he started. “You’re needed in –“

But he didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Without warning, he disappeared into thin air. The others just stared at the empty space where he’d been, stunned.

Everyone except Emma. She was caught up in another world for a moment-- an intense vision of Regina, dressed in a long coat and holding her hands, bombarding her mind. She stared into the other Regina’s eyes, confused, and then there was only a purple cloud which swept Regina away.

Emma returned to the present moment and the Regina she knew was speaking to her, but she couldn’t make out any of the words. The world felt hazy around her, the darkness tightening around her and closing in. She stared at Regina to have something to focus on, but her control was slipping fast. 

Somehow, Regina’s voice broke through:

“Emma? Are you alright?”

Emma could barely tell that Regina’s expression was concerned. She tried to muster up an answer.

“Yeah, I’m—“

“Mom?” another voice said.

But before Emma could answer, she blacked out.


	8. Remembering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Season Premiere! Sorry you had to wait for more chapters -- I was in two shows back to back. And then I started school and it's all just been crazy.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for sticking it out with this story. I love all your support! <3

Regina caught Emma as she fell, the woman heavy in her arms.

“What’s with Ma?” Henry asked.

“I think this timeline is becoming unstable,” Regina said. Then, she turned to Robin Hood and said, “Let’s get her into your tent.”

“Yes, of course,” he said, rushing over to help. He took Emma in his arms and carried her into his tent. Regina followed him in, her mind racing with everything that had happened. But her thoughts stopped when she saw who was in the tent.

“Zelena?” she said.

“Do I know you?” the redhead asked. She was huddled in the corner of the tent, dressed all in white, and her eyes were rimmed with tears. Regina didn’t answer.

“We were supposed to be getting married right about now,” Robin explained, lying down the unconscious Emma on his cot. “That was, before the Queen barged in.” Zelena stood and rushed to Robin’s side, clutching his arm.

“I don’t wish to postpone it any longer, my love,” she said.

“We won’t,” Robin promised, kissing the top of her head.

Regina stared down at the unconscious Emma, trying to simultaneously shut out Robin and Zelena and come up with a theory for Emma’s sudden collapse and Little John’s disappearance. Her thoughts kept pressing toward her concern for Emma, but she kept redirecting them to the problem at hand.

Henry rushed into the tent, looking for Emma.

“Is she okay?” he asked, racing to his blonde mother’s side.

“She’ll be fine,” Regina assured him. Henry gave her a look and she knew he didn’t believe her. Then, Henry noticed Zelena and said,

“Weren’t you two meant to get married today?”

“Who is this?” Zelena asked, a look of paranoia overtaking her expression. “How does he know that?”

“It’s alright,” Robin said. “He’s a friend. They’re friends.” He frowned at Henry and added, “How _did_ you know that?”

Henry shrugged and said, “It’s a long story.”

“I think we should give you all some privacy,” Robin said, leading Zelena out of the tent.

Once they were gone, Regina let out a sigh and Henry turned back to her, saying, “If they were supposed to get married today and they didn’t because we broke out Emma and brought her here, maybe that’s why the timeline is falling apart. Maybe that’s the key to fixing all of this.”

Regina nodded, thinking, but her thought process was interrupted by the sound of Emma gasping. The blonde sat up, her eyes wild, and Regina moved to her side immediately.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked and Regina stood over her, her arms crossed across her chest in feigned annoyance.

“You always have to be so dramatic, don’t you?” she said.

“You’re okay!” Henry added, sitting on the bed beside Emma and hugging her quickly.

“Yeah, kid, I’m fine,” Emma said, her brow crinkled with uncertainty.

“You passed out,” Henry supplied. “And we’re still in Robin Hood’s camp.” Emma looked from Henry to Regina, her gaze slowly focusing. Then, with her attention still on Regina, she said,

“I remember something.”

The weight of Emma’s words caught Regina and Henry’s attention.

“What?” Henry pressed.

“I think I remember something from who I used to be,” she clarified. “Just like you said.”

Regina couldn’t take her gaze off Emma. The confusion and the certainty there on her face was riveting and, in some way, thrilling. She felt like maybe something was finally being accomplished.

“What do you remember?” Henry asked eagerly, smiling broadly at his mother. Regina leaned a bit closer to them both, grasping her biceps as she waited for Emma’s answer. Emma looked up, right at Regina, and said,

“It was you.”

“Me?” Regina nearly stuttered, taken aback by the awe in Emma’s eyes.

“Yeah,” Emma answered. “You were dressed in strange clothes and your hair was shorter and you were holding my hands and I think you were… _crying_.” She said the last word as though it was impossible.

“Yes,” Regina said, the exact memory jumping into her mind with extreme clarity. “That happened not too long ago. Well, not long before we were brought here.”

“What happened?” Emma asked urgently. “What was happening to us? Why were you crying?”

Regina took a steadying breath, reminding herself that the situation had resolved itself. It had turned out alright in the end.

“I had to say goodbye,” Regina answered. “I had to give up what I loved most.”

 Emma frowned at this.

“But it’s definitely a _memory_?” she asked.

“Yes,” Regina confirmed.

“So, then…it’s all real,” Emma said. Regina just nodded. Henry smiled.

Emma stared off into the middle distance, sighing, “Holy shit.”

“Language,” Regina said automatically. Emma rolled her eyes.

“So, you get it now?” Henry asked.

“I think I’m starting to,” Emma said. “But how do we get back there, to our ‘real’ timeline?”

“That is what we’ve been attempting to find out,” Regina answered, frustration in her tone.

“Alright,” Emma said, putting up her hands defensively. “I’m just catching up; give me a break.”

“I’m not frustrated with you,” Regina said and Emma looked at her, surprised.

“Maybe,” Henry started, breaking the strange tension between his two mothers, “we just have to mess with this timeline enough that it falls in on itself. It’s already getting weaker since I got here and we rescued Emma.”

“But who’s to say that destroying this timeline will bring us back to the other one?” Emma asked. “Couldn’t we just cease to exist or something weird like that?”

“This timeline was created with magic,” Regina said, her thoughts starting to congeal into a solid idea. “That means that there is a way to break it. And I think I have a good idea how.”

“How?” Henry asked.

“We have to kill Snow White.”

Henry and Emma looked at her, Emma’s jaw hanging loose.

“Mom!” Henry protested. “No. That’s not the answer. I thought you got past this.”

At that comment, Emma eyed Regina warily, a thousand unasked questions floating between them.

“This is different,” Regina assured Henry. “I think it might actually be the only solution.”

“It can’t be,” Henry insisted.

“She is the lynchpin of this timeline,” Regina continued. “She’s the one who had Emma in the tower, she’s the one who showed up the moment we changed things, and when she was hurt, Little John disappeared and Emma remembered. All of the changes in this timeline come back to her.”

“But who’s to say that _killing_ her will be the answer?” Emma piped in. “Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?”

Henry cleared his throat at this comment and said,

“Mom, I don’t think this is the answer. Maybe we should go back to the True Love’s Kiss idea.” Regina looked at Henry in warning and he replied, “I promise I won’t bring up Robin Hood. But there might be another solution.”

“We’ve been over this,” Regina said. “It just doesn’t work.”

Emma opened her mouth to comment when Mulan stepped into the tent.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said, “but I think we need to be going if we’re to defend ourselves against the Queen.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Regina said, turning away from Emma and Henry. “Let’s be going.”

Emma jumped up from the cot, standing beside Regina and saying,

“But seriously, Regina, you aren’t really going to try to kill her, are you?”

Regina turned to her and said, voice low,

“We shall see.”

Then, without another look or word for Emma Swan, Regina swept out of the tent.  

“Regina!” Emma’s voice shouted. Regina turned with a sigh, crossing her arms in defense. Emma stepped up to Regina, who didn’t step back, and grabbed her arm as she said, “Regina, you can’t think of doing this. It isn’t you.”

“And how do you know that?” Regina snapped, pulling her arm out of Emma’s grasp. “You don’t even remember me.”

“But I know you somehow,” Emma insisted, her breath hot on Regina’s face as she stepped even closer. “And I know that this isn’t the answer.”

Regina’s mind flashed back to those first few months together in Storybrooke and how Emma had never shied away from invading personal space. She marveled that here they were again, living in a completely different universe but still nose to nose and will to will.

Regina stepped in again, feeling her lip curl as she said,

“I _will_ get us out of here by any means necessary. And if that means killing Snow White, so be it.”

Emma took a step back and Regina looked around, realizing that they were being watched. Mulan stood closest, a look of intent curiosity on her face. Regina felt her walls rising up around her.

“Let’s get going,” she barked. “No more delays.” She started to walk toward her horse, her entire body tight.

“Regina!” Emma called after her, but she just kept walking.


	9. Realizations

Emma rode quietly behind the equally taciturn Regina for the entire trip back to the cabin. The entire caravan barely spoke, as though they could sense the stiffness in Regina's body that only Emma was close enough to actually feel. The brunette woman confused Emma to no end. Just when she thought she had it all figured out, Regina did something completely unexpected. 

Once they made it to the cabin, the merry men set up camp outside as Regina, Henry, and Emma holed up inside. Regina went directly to her room, slamming the door in a way that made it very clear that she didn't want to be disturbed. 

"I guess it's just you and me, kid," Emma said to Henry as she slumped into Regina's rocking chair. Henry stared at his Mom's closed bedroom door for a moment before turning back to Emma. 

"She'll cool off," he promised.

"If you say so," Emma answered, her tone betraying her disbelief.

"She will," Henry insisted. "I know her."

Emma shook her head, considering.

"Do you think she'll really kill Snow White?"

The question, heavy and latent with so many more questions, hung in the air between them.

Henry didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked down at his shoes, a conflicted expression on his face.

"Yes," he answered faintly. "If it'll save me or you, then yes, she will."

"Then how do we stop her?" Emma asked and her voice sounded loud in comparison to Henry's hushed reply. 

Henry looked up at this, the usual sparkle of hope back in his eyes.

"We have to find another way to get back to Storybrooke."

"But we've run out of ideas," Emma whined, rocking the chair in frustration. "Are you  _sure_ your Mom doesn't have a True Love hiding somewhere?"

"Well..." 

Emma caught the hesitancy in Henry's voice and pounced. 

"Alright, kid, spill."

"I don't know if you want to hear it," Henry said. Emma stood at this, her hands tight at her sides.

"If it'll stop your Mom from killing mine, then yes, I want to hear it. Talk."

"Fine," Henry said, "but don't blame me if you don't like it."

"Stop stalling."

Henry let out a weary breath and then launched into his story.

"Well, everyone thought Mom's True Love was Robin Hood because that's what the pixie dust said."

"Forest guy?" Emma interrupted. "Isn't he supposed to marry that other lady?"

"In this timeline, yes," Henry answered. "Because Rumpelstiltskin thought that Robin Hood was Regina's soulmate and, therefore, her happy ending. So he ruined that by marrying him off to someone else."

"I see. But I thought Rumpelstiltskin was a good guy?"

"That's a long story," Henry said. "But all you need to know is that he's a bad dude where I'm from and he's always messing with Mom's life."

"That bastard," Emma interjected, hitting a fist against her thigh.

"But that's not the point," Henry continued. "The important thing is that Robin Hood isn't actually Mom's True Love."

"What?" Emma said, her focus entirely on Henry. "How do you know that?"

"Because after everyone else was swept away to this timeline, I did some research. And it turns out that in the Author's original story, Blue tampered with the pixie dust so that Regina would _think_ Robin Hood was her True Love. That way, Regina would be kept from figuring out her happy ending forever. Not even Rumpelstiltskin knew about that."

"That shady fairy..." Emma let the new information simmer in her brain for a moment. She felt a new sort of hope starting in her heart and she couldn't help but smile at it.

"Ma?" Henry asked.

"Good job, kid," Emma replied. "Now we just have to figure out who Regina's actual True Love is and we can fix all this. Or did you already figure that out?"

Henry shrugged.

"I don't know for sure," he said, "but I do have a guess."

When Henry didn't continue, Emma goaded,

"Well?"

"I don't think I should say..."

"Come on, kid. What's the harm in telling me? And why haven't you told your Mom, anyway?"

"I haven't told her yet because I want her to figure it out on her own. I'm afraid it won't work if she doesn't."

"What do you mean 'it won't work'?"

 "She won't accept it," Henry clarified. "And then True Love's Kiss won't break this timeline. It won't bring us back."

"For magic, there sure are a shit-ton of weird rules," Emma grumbled.

"Tell me about it," Henry agreed.

Emma started to pace the room, thinking hard. She believed that there just  _had_ to be an answer to all this and she was determined to find it. Regina's happiness seemed to be the key. If only it were obvious who her True Love was...

Emma fought the urge to knock on Regina's door and just ask who she loved. Perhaps Regina was already in love but was too scared to pursue it. But that seemed a strange reaction -- Regina wasn't afraid of death, even. She'd proven that already. So then, why would she be afraid of love?

"What are you thinking?" Henry asked, suspicion in his tone.

"Just trying to work this out." Henry sighed, as if the answer was staring Emma in the face. He took a deep breath and then asked,

"Do you know how long Mom was trying to get you out of the tower?"

Emma stopped her pacing and looked directly at Henry, intrigued.

"I never thought about it. I have no idea."

"A long time," Henry supplied. "And why would she do that?"

"Because I'm your mom."

"But I wasn't there--I mean I wasn't here, in this timeline--until yesterday. And I only got here on my own will. So why would it matter what was happening to you if I wasn't even around?"

Henry's logic spun around in Emma's brain and she momentarily felt a bit lightheaded.

"Shit!" Emma shouted when she realized what Henry was driving at.

Before she could elaborate, the door to Regina's room opened and the brunette stood in the doorway. She crossed her arms and said,

"Miss Swan, could you  _please_ refrain from using such crass language around our son?" 

The "our son" echoed in Emma's head, solidifying her suspicions, and she thought she could feel Henry's smirk from across the room even though she couldn't see him.

"Sorry," Emma said, too distracted by her thoughts to care about refusing to apologize. 

Regina picked up on this, her gaze lingering on Emma as she slowly uncrossed her arms. 

"Mom, can we eat?" Henry asked, breaking the moment.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Emma added.

"Of course you are," Regina said, but the annoyance in her voice didn't sound genuine. "It would be that you're ravenous in any timeline."

Emma just shrugged and Henry said, "I'll help."

"Thank you, Henry," Regina said, the faintest beginnings of a smile starting on her lips.

Regina and Henry disappeared into the kitchen and Emma fell back into the rocking chair. She rocked quickly, her thoughts scattered yet insistent. 

Did Regina really love her? Could she? The chances of it seemed infinitesimal, but the woman's actions spoke for themselves. Henry had said Regina had been trying to free Emma for a long time. Surely Regina wasn't the sort of person to be so persistent on an errand of mere goodwill. There had to be something else at play.

Emma was still staring into space when Regina re-entered the room.

"Well?" she said, her hands on her hips.

"What?" Emma asked, jolted from her distracted thoughts.

"Are you going to help or not? If you're planning to eat, then I expect you to come help."

Emma looked up at Regina and knew, somehow, that under the cold surface of her words, Regina was asking her to join them because she wanted the blonde there. She was willingly sharing Henry, and the moment, with Emma. Henry's theory only took on more credence.

"If you insist," Emma said and she couldn't keep the smile from her face no matter how hard she tried.

"Hurry up, then," Regina said and turned quickly on her heel, heading back into the kitchen. Emma paused for a moment, watching the woman's back and grinning to herself. Then, without any further hesitation, she hopped out of the chair and joined Regina and Henry in the kitchen.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this tiny break in the action for some Swan-Mills family time


	10. The Brewing Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice, long chapter to make up for the last chapter (that was kinda short and uneventful). I'm sure that this will not disappoint ;)

Emma was useless in the kitchen, as Regina had expected she would be, but the blonde made Henry laugh and that was enough.

After dinner, they sat in the living room. Henry did most of the talking, but Regina couldn’t help but notice how the three of them so easily fell into a companionable calm. Regina had to stop herself every so often from allowing her gaze to linger too long on Emma. The blonde seemed strangely at ease with two people who were practically strangers to her. Regina’s Emma had never been so open. At least, not at first. Lately, things had begun to change.

The sun set and Mulan came into the cabin to tell them that the camp was secure and battening down for the night. Regina ordered Henry to bed and he quickly replied,

“But where will Emma sleep?”

“The floor’s fine with me, kid,” Emma assured him after a beat of silence. She smiled sheepishly at Regina and the brunette felt her heart fall into her feet.

“But you haven’t had a bed in forever!” Henry protested. At this, he turned to Regina and put on his patent puppy-dog eyes. Regina suddenly realized that Emma had used the same exact look before.

“Mom!” Henry said, breaking into her thoughts. “Can’t Emma sleep with you? It’s only one night.”

“Henry—“ Regina began and Emma interrupted,

“Kid, don’t give your Mom a hard time. I’m fine, I promise.”

Henry looked between his mothers and Regina couldn’t help but feel like he was up to something.

“It’s only one night,” Henry repeated.

Emma and Henry were quiet as Regina considered. She certainly _wanted_ the blonde back in her bed, but she couldn’t really admit to _that_. Regina sighed instead and feigned annoyance.

“Fine,” she relented. “But only for one night.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Henry said, grinning.

“But you’ll stay on your side of the bed,” Regina said to Emma. “We won’t have a repeat of last time, understood?”

Emma nodded, feeling a blush color her cheeks. Henry looked at them, a question in his expression.

“Off to bed,” Regina ordered.

“Alright,” Henry said and Emma obediently started toward Regina’s bedroom. Regina turned away and smirked to herself before confidently striding into her room.

“Goodnight,” she called over her shoulder to Henry.

“Goodnight, Mom,” he answered. “Goodnight, Emma.”

“Goodnight, kid,” Emma said just before Regina closed the door.

Regina watched Emma drift toward the opposite side of the bed, thinking that she looked rather nervous. She took a moment to wonder at this, but before she could come to any sort of conclusion, Emma asked,

“Are you sure?” She looked down at the bed as though it would jump up and eat her.

“Henry’s right,” Regina said. “You need some quality sleep if you’re going to be of any use.”

Emma nodded absentmindedly, but she stayed where she was. Regina felt as though a question sat on Emma’s tongue, just waiting to be released.

She didn’t wait for it, though. Instead, she gave Emma a “turn around” signal with one finger and then pulled her shirt off to change for bed.

She paused her changing to watch Emma’s back, noticing how the blonde was breathing carefully. She tracked the rise and fall of Emma’s shoulders and then the sigh that brought the blonde’s shoulders even lower.

“Regina,” Emma started, her voice hesitant. Regina held her breath, waiting with her shirt in her hands. When she didn’t answer, Emma continued, “I can’t figure it out.”

“Well, that’s nothing new,” Regina remarked with forced nonchalance. “What in particular can’t you figure out?”

“Why you were trying so long to get me out of the tower.”

The statement stopped Regina’s heart for a split second. Her breath hung, huge and suspended, in her chest.

“It’s simple,” Regina answered once she’d regained her ability to speak. “I wanted to get back at Snow White.”

Emma whipped around at that, facing Regina from across the bed and saying,

“I know a lie when I hear one, Regina.”

Regina stood there in her corset and pants, exposed in a way she’d never been before in front of Emma. After a second, Emma realized this and stared.

“Excuse me?” Regina asked.

“Sorry,” Emma muttered, focusing her gaze on Regina’s face. Instead of backing down, the blonde started to slowly approach Regina from around the bed.

“I know when you’re lying,” Emma clarified. “And I know that that’s not the truth. What’s the real reason?”

Regina clamped her mouth shut, fighting the incredibly strong urge to blurt out _It’s because I love you_. She saw Emma’s gaze linger on the tension in her jaw.

“Why can’t you just tell me?” Emma asked.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Regina insisted, standing her ground on her side of the bed as Emma came ever closer. Regina felt strangely vulnerable standing there without a shirt on and with Emma’s green eyes piercing her.

“Regina,” Emma said and the weight of that single word pressed on Regina’s heart. This Emma, in this moment, felt so close to the Emma she’d known back in Storybrooke and her entire body ached with a sort of missing.

Emma hesitated a few feet away, watching. Regina knew better than to hope that Emma would back down or drop the subject. But she couldn’t seem to bring herself to speak, either. The confession felt too large to fit into the tidy box of coherent words.

“Regina,” Emma said again, taking another step toward her. “What are you afraid of?”

At this, Regina felt her old walls erecting themselves around her, keeping her safe behind her guise of sarcasm and boiling anger.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said sharply.

“Then just tell me,” Emma pleaded, taking yet another step forward. Regina held her shirt even tighter to her chest, feeling every muscle in her body tense.

“Maybe we can get out of here,” Emma continued. “Maybe the answer to my question is the solution to this whole mess. Don’t you want to go back?”

“We will go back,” Regina said, “once I’ve killed Snow White.”

“You don’t know that,” Emma said.

“But it’s worth a try,” Regina said, noticing the assurance she’d once felt draining from her words.

“Is it?” Emma asked. “Would you really kill your son’s grandmother on a hunch? And when there might be another solution?”

“There is no other solution,” Regina insisted. She felt like her emotions were getting away from her, spiraling downward into some desperate, fearful place. “There is only death in my future.”

“That’s not true,” Emma said. “And I can prove it.”

That stopped Regina short.

“What?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“I can prove to you that there is a happy ending for you. Because you’ve been lied to for a long time and I intend to change that.”

“How?” Regina’s voice sounded small, even to her.

“By telling you the truth,” Emma said, taking that last step and breaking into Regina’s personal space. Regina held Emma’s intense gaze as though her life depended on it, her breath stuck in her chest as she waited for Emma to continue. The blonde was so close that she thought she could smell the earthy fragrance that she’d always associated with the woman.

“The truth is,” Emma started, slowly and quietly, “Blue tricked you. Robin Hood was never your True Love. She only wanted you to believe that so you’d never find your actual True Love. She did it so that you’d never find your happy ending.”

The revelation shocked Regina into numbness. She suddenly felt completely out of control of her body.

“How do you…?” Regina began but she couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Henry found out,” Emma replied with a smile. “I think it’s why he came here to find you.”

“Henry,” Regina whispered. How many times would he be her saving grace?

“So, back to my question,” Emma said. “Why did you work so hard to get me out of the tower?”

There it was, plain and simple, staring Regina in the face. That most basic of questions and the tower—the crux of everything – had finally come full circle. She had to admit to her feelings. How else could she explain herself?

Emma waited, her breathing markedly unsettled and her gaze darting about Regina’s face. Regina swallowed hard, trying to think through the fog of nerves that clouded her brain.

“Emma, I—“ Regina began, but cut off abruptly, unsure how to continue. She looked away, trying to calm herself, but she brought her gaze back to Emma when she felt a feather-light touch on her cheek.

“Regina?” Emma said, her voice as delicate as her fingers on Regina’s skin. “Are you…in love with me?”

Breath rushed into Regina’s lungs.

“What?” she choked out.

“Do you love me?” Emma repeated. Regina marveled for what felt like the thousandth time at the blonde’s unwavering boldness.

Regina opened her mouth to answer and her bedroom door swung open, hitting the wall with its force.

“Moms!” Henry shouted, standing in the doorway and breathing heavily. Emma’s hand fell from Regina’s face. “Grandma’s here!”

“Snow White?” Emma asked, spinning to face him. Henry nodded and then took a moment to survey the scene that he’d barged in on. His cheeks flushed bright red and he said,

“I’m sorry. I should have knocked. But it’s an emergency!”

Regina felt her body come back to life, adrenaline rushing through her limbs. A wave of relief went through her, followed immediately by an equally strong sense of disappointment.

“Well, let’s go, then,” she said, pulling her shirt back on. “There’s not a moment to lose when it comes to Snow White.”

Henry braced himself in the doorway when his mothers approached.

“You’re not leaving until you promise not to kill Snow White,” he said.

“Henry, we don’t have time for this,” Regina said.

“Promise!” he insisted. “Promise me and I promise you that there’s another way.”

“Kid, I already told her,” Emma said, sounding as guilty as she looked.

“You told her!” Henry said, turning on his birth mother. “But that wasn’t the plan!”

“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I had to.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Regina pointed out. “Let’s go help the others. I’m sure she’s brought an army this time.”

“You’re not leaving until you promise,” Henry pressed. Regina clamped her jaw tight, deciding what to do.

Suddenly, the sounds of shouting came from outside. Henry reinforced his position in the doorway and Emma said, “Regina.” She felt surrounded and everything in her wanted to lash out.

But then she looked Emma in the eye and she saw something there that she’d never seen before. Maybe she just hadn’t been looking for it – she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that its existence changed everything.

“Alright,” Regina said, focusing on Henry. “I won’t kill Snow White.”

Henry stared at her for a moment, as if trying to judge the validity of her statement.

“She’s telling the truth,” Emma said.

Henry nodded, as if that was enough for him, and he gave up on his blockade of the door. Regina and Emma rushed out immediately, Regina headed for her bow, which was propped up beside the cabin’s front door, and Emma went for her shoes.

“Stick with me,” Regina said to Emma, slinging her quiver over her shoulder. “I need to be able to protect you. And Henry, you stay in the cabin.”

“Mom!” Henry protested.

“No argument,” Regina replied, turning the entirety of her attention on Henry. “I can’t have anything happen to you and I don’t trust Robin’s men to protect you from the Queen. This is non-negotiable.”

Henry pouted at the floor as Emma came up beside him, ready for action.

“Listen to your Mom, kid,” she said. “She’s doing something for you. The least you could do is return the favor.”

“Alright,” Henry said, but Regina doubted that he’d keep his promise.

“Let’s go,” Regina said, swinging her bow into position and heading out the front door with Emma close on her heels.

The battle was already in full tilt when the women stepped out into Robin Hood’s camp. The men had managed to keep Snow’s lackeys away from the cabin, for which Regina was grateful.

“There she is,” Emma announced, pointing off to their right at a black-clad, short woman. Regina nodded and started off toward Snow White.

“Wait!” Emma called after her, reaching out to grab the brunette’s arm but missing. “We can’t just face her head on again. That didn’t really work last time.”

“What choice do we have?” Regina called back over her shoulder, not slowing her pace. “We’re the best shot against the Queen. The others have no chance.”

“True,” Emma had to admit, her feet pounding to keep up.

“And she’ll find us soon enough,” Regina added. “Might as well do it on our terms.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Emma replied. She pulled out the knife Regina had given her during the first battle, clasping the handle tightly as she ran.

Regina slowed a bit, pulling an arrow from her quiver and loading it onto her bow. She took aim and let it fly, the point headed for Snow’s heart.

The Queen caught it right before it hit her, turning toward the source of the attack.

“Regina!” she shouted over the bustle of the battle. “How nice of you to join us!”

“Stand down, Snow,” Emma called back, coming up behind Regina. Snow smiled at that and spun the shaft of Regina’s arrow between her fingers.

“We’ve already been through this,” Snow White replied and started toward them.

“And I remember you turned tail and ran,” Emma said.

Snow frowned, holding the arrow like a javelin next to her ear and hurling it right at Regina. Emma put up her hand and used her other to push Regina out of the way. A wave of white light shot out from Emma’s hand, sending the arrow harmlessly into the dirt.

Emma stared at her hand while Regina stared at her. Snow looked to the arrow sticking upright out of the ground and then up at the women. She ground her teeth in a growl and barked,

“Charming!”

“What just happened?” Emma asked, her voice breathless.

“You have magic,” Regina answered.

Emma looked at Regina in shock and then abruptly passed out.

“Not again,” Regina grumbled, falling to her knees beside the unconscious blonde. The battle around them suddenly went quiet and Regina looked up in confusion.

Almost everyone had vanished, leaving only a few key players on each side.

The front door of the cabin opened and Henry raced out, shouting,

“What happened?”

“Get back inside!” Regina yelled across the now-silent clearing. But Snow saw Henry and started toward him.

“The timeline is collapsing!” he called back, running toward his mothers. “What did you do?”

“Get back!” Regina warned, putting out a hand.

“What happened to Emma?” Henry asked and Regina spotted Mulan in the near distance sprinting toward the teenage boy. Simultaneously, Snow White picked up her pace. Everything felt like it was colliding at once in Regina’s brain and she couldn’t work out what to do.

Thinking fast, Regina stood over Emma’s prostrate body and drew an arrow. She saw a moving figure in her peripheral and turned to see Charming running to join the Queen. Without another moment of hesitation, she aimed and let the arrow fly.

Regina’s arrow found its target, embedding itself in Charming’s thigh and his body slumped to the ground. Snow White whirled around and shrieked in anger. A moment more and Mulan was at Henry’s side, her sword drawn.

Satisfied for the moment, Regina crouched low over Emma and held her bow at the ready.  She kept her focus on the others around her as she reached down and lightly tapped Emma’s cheek.

“Wake up,” she demanded. “Come on, you stubborn idiot.”

When Emma didn’t stir, Regina spared a second to look down at her. The blonde was just as unresponsive as she’d been a moment before.

“Emma Swan, I demand that you get up,” Regina said, shaking Emma’s shoulder. This had no effect and Regina grunted in frustration.

“Problem?” a light voice asked. Regina looked up and Snow White stood over her, smiling. “Feeling a bit exposed without your magical pet? How do you hope to defeat me without her?”

“Back off,” Regina growled.

“Now why would I do that?” Snow asked. “Especially when I have the chance to kill you.”

“Grandma, don’t!” Henry shouted from where Mulan held him in place a few dozen paces away.

“The boy’s right,” Snow sneered. “Why would I kill you when I can kill your loved ones in front of you first? And I think I’ll start with my beloved daughter.”

Snow raised her hand, a fireball in her palm, and Regina knew that this was the end. She could throw herself on top of Emma and be obliterated herself, or she could do the one thing that she’d been thinking might work all along but hadn’t had the nerve to go through with. In that split second, she opted for the latter.

Regina Mills bent down and kissed Emma Swan.


	11. Welcome to Storybrooke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much for all the positive and encouraging comments! I really love your feedback. It fuels me. :)
> 
> So as a way of thanking you (and assuaging that horrid cliffhanger I wrote!), here's another (rather long) chapter. Enjoy!

_The candle was bright and lonely in the empty apartment and the knock on the door was completely unexpected. The kid was small but confident as he introduced himself in a high-pitched voice._

_“I’m your son.”_

Emma jolted awake to a pressure on her lips.

“What the hell!” she shouted, annoyed that she’d passed out yet again in the midst of the action. Regina hovered above her and everything else remained extremely foggy.

“Ma!” a familiar voice called and Emma tried to sit up.

“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, but Regina didn’t answer. The brunette seemed surprised and overwhelmed, the ability to speak robbed from her for the first time in as long as Emma could remember. Tired of waiting for answers, Emma sat up and as she did, she felt a gentle hand on her back. Was that Regina’s hand?

Regina helped Emma to standing, holding her gaze, and Emma couldn’t hope to begin to unravel the tangle of emotions in the brunette’s expression. Instead, Emma looked around to get her bearings. She was in the middle of the street right outside of Granny’s and Regina was standing uncharacteristically close to her, wearing strange forest-bandit clothes. Emma looked down and realized that she, too, was in strange clothing. The flowing white shirt and black pants were not her usual fare. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

“Emma!” another voice called and the blonde opened her eyes. Her parents and Henry were racing toward her, although her father was limping a bit. Her mother was dressed the most flamboyantly of them all, reminding Emma of Regina’s Evil Queen get-up.

“Alright,” Emma said, “now I’m _really_ confused. Will someone please explain what’s going on?”

“You don’t remember?” Henry asked, stepping closer to his mother in concern.

Then, suddenly, all of Emma’s memories clicked into place and she closed her eyes, feeling like she’d just been hit by a train.

“Holy shit!”

“Well, I guess that answers my question,” Henry retorted.

All her memories of the tower and the adventure with Henry and Regina came back in a tidal wave of sensation. She couldn’t help dwelling on the moments of fighting her mother and interrogating Regina in the bedroom… But what had happened after that? How had she recovered her memories and how were they all back in Storybrooke?

Emma opened her eyes and looked straight at Regina.

“Alright,” she started, “I have some questions.”

“Don’t we all,” Snow said, looking pointedly at Regina. Regina let out a sigh and said,

“Perhaps somewhere besides the middle of the street?”

Emma nodded and took charge, asking her parents,

“Could you take Henry for a little while? I’ll be over to get him and talk with you a little later. I want to talk to Regina first.”

“Of course,” her father said, wincing as he came up beside Snow and put a reassuring arm around his wife. “We’ll be here when you need us.” Henry nodded and joined his grandparents. Emma turned to Regina, who seemed much quieter than usual, and asked,

“Your place?”

She gave a nod and started off toward Mifflin Street. Snow seemed like she wanted to say something, but Emma ignored it for the moment, following Regina instead.

They walked in silence, a few feet between them as they made the journey to the mansion on foot. Emma kept turning over memories of her interactions with Regina in the other timeline as she tried to piece it all together. What had been different between them there? And what had happened after Emma had blacked out? The questions nagged her incessantly and the walk to Regina’s mansion felt interminable.

They finally arrived, the white house huge but inviting. Emma thought she’d never been so happy to see the sometimes intimidating mansion. She followed Regina in, an anxious energy banging her heart against her sternum.

Regina stood in the foyer for a moment, breathing in deeply as though she’d missed the very air of her home. Emma watched her, noticing how at odds her clothing looked in the environment of Storybrooke. She was so used to seeing Mayor Mills in this foyer with her pencil skirts and power suits that this bandit version of Regina jarred her.

“I’m going to change,” Regina said, heading toward the staircase. “I’ll be back. Dare I suggest you make yourself at home.”

“Alright,” Emma muttered, amazed at Regina’s ability to do anything, much less something as insignificant as changing clothes, when there were pressing things to be discussed.

The brunette disappeared upstairs and Emma went into Regina’s sitting room. She paced the ornate space, thinking about the first time she’d been invited in and offered a glass of cider. It felt like a thousand years had passed since then, but she could still remember that spark she’d felt with Regina that night. That spark that she’d questioned time and time again and yet had expected would manifest in some physical way eventually. But it never had.

Yet, Emma’s hope for it had returned now that she remembered their relationship in the alternate timeline. Regina had come to save her and that alone was a big thing indeed.

Regina appeared suddenly in the doorway, dressed in one of her usual silk blouses and pencil skirts. She seemed off somehow—as though she couldn’t regain her footing even on her home turf.

“Have a seat, please,” she said, entering the room. “We have much to discuss.”

Emma refrained from making a snarky comment. She was too desperate to get answers from Regina to chance it with snappy comebacks. Instead, she took a seat on the loveseat and Regina sat opposite her on the other.

“I’m sure you have many questions,” Regina began.

“Well, that’s the understatement of the century,” Emma replied.

“Then where would you like to start?” Regina asked and Emma couldn’t help but be shocked at Regina’s hospitable attitude. After she’d recovered, she blurted,

“How about _how in hell_ did we get out of that damned timeline?”

“That’s a rather simple answer,” Regina deadpanned. “I kissed you.”

“You _what?!?_ ” Emma said, standing from the couch.

“Maybe some cider is in order?” Regina asked, standing as well and moving toward the liquor tray.

“No, don’t try to avoid this,” Emma said, following her. “How can you just casually say that? Do you know what this means? This is huge!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Regina asked as she poured two tumblers of cider.

“That’s just the point!” Emma responded, stepping even closer to the brunette. “You know what this means!”

Regina turned then, a glass of cider in each hand, and bit back,

“Of course I know what it means. I grew up there for gods’ sakes. The concept was all but shoved down my throat.”

“Then we _have_ to talk about this!” Emma insisted.

“Cider first,” Regina said, pressing one of the glasses into Emma’s hand.

“Regina,” Emma protested, but the brunette just pointedly sipped her cider, motioning for Emma to do the same.

Emma drank the cider impatiently, her mind humming along at a hundred miles a second. She swallowed the sweet, biting liquid and then retorted,

“Happy?” Regina gave her an annoyed look. Emma put down her glass and resumed her pacing.

“Don’t hurt yourself, dear,” Regina said, putting down her glass as well. Emma ignored her, starting to think out loud instead.

“If you kissed me and that brought us back here, and restored our memories, that _must_ mean that you’re my True Love. And I’m yours. But what does that mean for us? What are we going to do about it? What does it mean for the future?”

Regina turned away, letting out a long breath. Emma stopped walking and watched Regina. She could tell from the slope of the brunette’s shoulders and the tightness of her body that she was frightened. Something warm swelled up in Emma’s heart at the sight and she slowly closed the gap between them. Emma reached out a hand but she didn’t dare to touch the tightly coiled woman.

“Regina, it’s okay,” Emma said softly. “We can work this out together. I’m not going to push you into anything you don’t want.”

Emma waited and Regina slowly turned around to face her. Emma’s breath caught at the sight of tears in Regina’s eyes. She stopped and stared, unsure what to say or how to respond.

And then Regina kissed her.

Her lips were much softer and her kiss was much gentler than Emma had expected. And Regina’s hands on her hips were loving rather than possessive. Emma had definitely not expected that.

It was all so out of the blue that it took Emma a second to respond. But once she did, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Her fingers buried themselves in Regina’s soft hair and her lips moved instinctively against Regina’s. It felt as though they’d kissed a thousand times before in some other lifetime, leaving a simultaneous sense of newness and familiarity. It felt amazing and Emma felt as though she didn’t have to work for it at all.

But the thing Emma felt most of all was Regina’s obvious and overwhelming love for her. She felt a bit lightheaded at the revelation.

Finally, Regina pulled away and the momentary, unguarded brightness in her eyes confirmed everything Emma had felt in their kiss. Then, Regina’s expression hardened back to usual and she took a step back from Emma.

“Well,” she said. Emma waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, Emma said,

“Holy shit, Regina, how long have you been holding that in?”

Regina turned away again, hugging her arms around her middle.

“So I wasn’t imagining the chemistry between us all this time,” Emma continued. “And I thought I was crazy.”

“Well, that’s still up for debate,” Regina muttered. Emma shook her head and started pacing again. Regina drifted over to the glass of cider she’d put down earlier and deftly swallowed all of it.

“How could I not see it?” Emma asked herself.

“You shouldn’t be so surprised, dear,” Regina replied, pouring herself another glass of cider. “You miss many things. You are a Charming after all. And I am rather good at deception.”

“A Charming you happen to be in love with,” Emma pointed out, stopping her pacing to look Regina in the eye.

“To my eternal chagrin,” Regina said, sipping her cider.

“I’m not all bad, you know,” Emma replied.

“I suppose I could do worse. I could be in love with Captain Guyliner.”

“You know I don’t love him,” Emma said, her voice low.

“Well, you put on a good show,” Regina said. “I’m sure you have everyone else fooled.”

“But not you,” Emma said. “I can never get anything past you.”

“Hardly anyone can, dear,” Regina half-sighed.

“But you didn’t know I was in love with you?” Emma asked. Regina shook her head.

“I couldn’t be sure. What I thought I saw was clouded by what I wanted to see. So I couldn’t trust it.”

“Fair enough.”

Emma slumped back down onto the loveseat, suddenly exhausted. Regina continued to carefully sip her cider, her thoughts elsewhere.

“So, now what?” Emma asked. “We have to decide what to do about this. Since we are…” Emma trailed off.

“True Loves,” Regina interjected. “You can say it.”

“Alright, alright,” Emma said, her hands up in defense. “No need to get pissy. You act like being in love is a horrible thing.”

Regina turned on her at this, a clouded look in her eyes.

“When it comes to me, it just might be,” she said softly.

“What do you mean by that?” Emma asked. Regina looked at her like she was an idiot.

“Don’t you get it?” she asked, anger rising in her voice. “I’m poison. Love me and you’re fated to death or worse.”

“That’s not true—“

“But it is,” Regina interrupted. “Or have you forgotten so quickly?”

“Things are different now,” Emma assured her. “And I’m the Savior. I think I’ve proven that I can handle quite a bit.”

“Don’t throw your Savior card in now,” Regina growled. “That’s the last thing we need.”

“But it’s true,” Emma said, standing. “I can take care of myself.”

“Can you really take care of yourself against all my enemies? Because once they know that you’re my True Love, they will all be targeting you. In fact, Rumple has probably already figured it out and has started plotting something.”

“You can’t think like that,” Emma said, putting out a hand to gently touch Regina’s arm.

“But I have to think like that,” Regina replied, pulling her arm out of Emma’s grasp. “I have no other choice.”

“But you do have a choice now. You’re not the Evil Queen anymore. Here, you can just be Regina.”

Emma watched Regina’s brow crease with worry and she boldly reached for the woman’s free hand. She held it and said,

“Whatever comes, we’ll face it together. From what I understand, that’s what True Love means.”

Regina stared down at their joined hands as though something entirely strange was occurring. They stood there in silence, Emma gently rubbing her thumb over Regina’s. The contact felt incredibly intimate and Emma felt like she must be glowing from the inside out.

“You really want this?” Regina whispered, her voice papery and uncertain. The words sent a chill down Emma’s spine.

“Yes,” she answered confidently. “I really do. Do you?”

“Yes,” Regina answered slowly. “But…”

She suddenly pulled away, taking her hand from Emma’s and looking back at the empty loveseat.

“You okay?” Emma asked.

“You’re really willing to try this?” Regina asked, still not looking at Emma.

“Yes.”

At the point-blank answer, Regina turned back to the blonde. Emma held the brunette’s gaze, letting her confidence show in the squaring of her shoulders and the line of her mouth.

“I’ll just need time,” Regina admitted. “To adjust.”

Emma watched Regina carefully, waiting for an outburst. When none came, she said,

“I didn’t expect you to be so calm about this.”

“Don’t speak too soon,” Regina said, a wry smile teasing the corner of her lips. “I may yet have an emotional display to rival my entrance to your parents’ wedding.” Emma groaned.

“Please don’t remind me that you’re old enough to have been at my parents’ wedding.” Regina just rolled her eyes. Emma sighed and continued, “I never know what to expect from you. But I suppose that I’ll learn.”

Regina gave a short chuckle at that, the usual light returning to her eyes when she responded,

“Good luck, dear.”

“I’m definitely going to need it,” Emma muttered.

“And that’s the least of your worries,” Regina added.

Emma smiled at Regina and they were silent a moment, taking each other in. Emma felt like she’d awoken from one dream into another, bypassing reality all together. Regina was her True Love and she was actually admitting to it…this seemed like the miracle of all miracles. Emma was still half-expecting an outburst of some sort on Regina’s end, but she would take what she could get and be grateful for what she had in the moment.

Regina turned from Emma, saying,

“I just wish we could have kept this to ourselves for a while. I don’t like that everyone knows.”

“It was bound to happen anyway,” Emma said. “You know how Storybrooke is.”

“But I would have liked the time, no matter how short. This is an…” Regina faltered before finally finishing, “…adjustment.”

“You can say that again,” Emma agreed.

Regina sighed and sat down on the loveseat, looking as exhausted as Emma felt. She watched the woman for a moment before joining her on the couch. She reached out and gently laid her fingers on Regina’s knee.

“We can take things as slowly as you want,” Emma assured her. “I just want to be with you. I’m not in any rush, alright?”

Regina nodded, her gaze focused on Emma’s hand touching her.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Then, suddenly, Regina was all over Emma and Emma’s head was spinning from the unexpected move. Regina’s lips found Emma’s and Regina’s hands clung at Emma’s shirt and Regina’s tongue played at the entrance of Emma’s mouth, begging for admittance. Emma gave in without a fight, moaning into Regina’s mouth as the woman’s tongue and hands explored. Desire swelled up in her, emanating from her core into her furthest extremities, as Regina’s form pressed against the length of hers.

“Damn, you’re hot,” Emma couldn’t stop herself from muttering against Regina’s lips.

“One of my many talents,” Regina purred back, ratcheting up Emma’s desire to a nearly unbearable level.

“God, Regina,” Emma said as Regina traced a line of hot kisses down her neck, “I do have to go talk to my parents eventually.”

“They can wait,” Regina said nonchalantly and Emma smiled. _This_ was the Regina she knew.

“Yes, they can.”


	12. The Course of True Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you've all been wondering how Regina felt about the kiss; it would be mean of me not to tell you! So here's the answer to that question.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the reviews and comments and kudos! You guys rock! And how good was that Dreamcatcher ep? 
> 
> Anyway, a huge thanks to everyone who has stuck it out through this fic to here! You are the best. :)

Regina felt strange kissing Emma out of self-defense and, most of all, while she was unconscious. It wasn’t how Regina had imagined their first kiss going—that is, if it ever happened at all.

But their second kiss, after everything was on the table and Emma was herself again: _that_ was what Regina had wanted. She felt like she could lose herself in Emma and the warm comfort that the woman elicited with just one touch of her lips.

And their third kiss (Regina lost track after that) promised so much more. Regina tasted her future in that kiss. It made her imagine nights spent making love and mornings waking to blissful companionship. She hadn’t expected to find it with Emma, but she couldn’t really complain.

Emma seemed as eager as she as they draped across the loveseat in Regina’s sitting room. Regina laid out atop the length of Emma’s firm body, feeling each detail for the first time. She let her body relax into the solidness of Emma, her hands pulling their bodies as close together as the physical universe allowed.

Regina’s breath caught when she felt Emma’s hands journey to grab her ass. The blonde’s grip was strong yet admiring, emphasized by the groan Emma let out against Regina’s neck. The sound buzzed against her skin and Regina felt as though her entire body had caught fire. She wondered distractedly if she’d ever felt this attracted to anyone.

“I must admit,” Emma said between kisses to Regina’s jaw, “I’ve imagined this a lot.” She paused again to circle her tongue appreciatively around Regina’s earlobe. “But this,” she continued, “it just…” She finished with something between a growl and a moan.

Regina gave a brief and dark chuckle against Emma’s collarbone.

“Articulate as always, my dear.”

“Oh,” Emma commented, “so I’ve upgraded to _my_ dear.” She smiled, nuzzling her nose into the crook of Regina’s neck.

“For now,” Regina answered. “Don’t get too cocky or you’ll be back to ‘Miss Swan.’”

“Of course, Madame Mayor.”

At that, Regina grasped hold of the collar on Emma’s shirt with both hands and pulled their faces close. She imagined she could hear Emma’s heart racing. She found herself smiling at the thought.

“Keep that up,” Regina whispered, “and we just might end up upstairs.”

Emma smirked and Regina fiercely kissed the expression off her lips.

A knock at the door took them both by surprise. Emma stared up at Regina with her patent wide-eyed gaze of confusion and Regina sighed in annoyance at the interruption.

“Who could that be?” Emma asked.  Regina didn’t answer. She gracefully disentangled herself from the blonde and stood up, straightening her skirt and fixing her hair. The knock came again and Regina shook her head.

“No one has any patience in this town,” she muttered.

She marched to the front door, Emma quickly falling into step behind her. Regina smiled at the familiar sound of her heels on the wood floor of the foyer and decided that it was very good to be back.

Regina opened the door, assuming her usual cold expression.

Belle stood on the porch, her eyes rimmed with red. Regina assumed she’d been crying and her heart clenched in fear at what that might mean.

“Can I help you?” Regina asked flatly.

“It’s Rumple,” Belle said. “He’s been fully consumed by the darkness.”

“So sorry to hear that,” Regina spat.

“Don’t you understand?” Belle said, taking a step forward. “We’re all in danger, Regina. Without the man, Rumple is just the beast and who knows what he’ll do. Who he’ll hurt. You have to help us get the darkness out of him.”

“I don’t _have_ to do anything,” Regina reminded her, although she silently credited the girl for her bravery. Then, she felt Emma’s hand on the back of her arm.

“Regina,” Emma said softly. “Think of Henry.”

Regina let out a rush of air. She knew Emma was right; she’d known even before the blonde had said anything. She just didn’t want to admit that she had to put her exhaustion aside and be a hero yet again.

“Alright,” Regina said. “What was your plan?”

“I think we should ask the Apprentice. He would know. He’s back at the shop. But we should hurry; he isn’t doing well.”

“Then, let’s go,” Regina relented. Without warning, Regina crossed her arms in front of her and a cloud of purple smoke enveloped the three ladies. They reappeared in the back of Mr. Gold’s pawn shop.

“Hey!” Emma said, obviously unprepared for the teleport. “Why didn’t you just do that earlier instead of making me walk?” Regina smirked.

“I wanted to make you wait.”

Emma groaned in annoyance and Belle interjected,

“We don’t have time to waste.” Regina nodded and looked around the room, spotting the Apprentice laid out on the cot. Granny was sitting beside him, her crossbow laid out on her lap. She watched the women warily, saying,

“I’m sorry but you’ve come too late. The man breathed his last but two minutes ago.”

“There must be a way to bring him back,” Emma said, panic starting to strain her voice. She turned to Regina. “Can’t you heal him? Or can’t _we_?”

Regina shook her head, dark thoughts starting to form on the horizon of her mind.

“Magic can’t bring back the dead,” she said, her tone heavy.

“She’s right,” Belle said. “Rumple told me himself.”

Regina, Belle, and Granny stared at the Apprentice’s motionless form as Emma stepped close and took his wrist, checking for a pulse. After a moment, she put her ear to his mouth. Then, with a mournful look, she said, “He’s gone.” Granny was kind enough not to comment.

“Alright, we need a different plan,” Emma said, standing to her full height. “Any ideas?”

“Send the Dark One into oblivion,” Regina answered.

“But the Apprentice thought we might be able to drain the darkness from Rumple so that we don’t have to kill him or banish him,” Belle said, her tone desperate.

“How did he think _that_ could be accomplished?” Regina asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

“The hat,” Belle answered.

“This sounds like a bad idea,” Emma said. “That hat hasn’t done much good since it showed up here.” She paused for a moment and added, “Unless you count it eating up the Blue Fairy for a little while…”

“Regardless,” Regina interrupted, “we have to deal with Rumple and we have to do it quickly before he does any damage.”

“Can’t we at least _try_ the Apprentice’s suggestion?” Belle asked. Regina sighed.

“I’m not sure even where to begin with something like pulling darkness out of the Dark One,” Regina said. “That’s beyond my abilities. And we don’t have much time to figure it out.”

“Can’t we ask the Blue Fairy?” Belle asked.   

“No!” Regina and Emma answered simultaneously. At the unexpected moment, Regina and Emma looked at one another while Belle and Granny looked at them in confusion.

“But—“ Belle started.

“She’s not to be trusted,” Emma said. “We can’t ask her.”

Belle nodded slowly, her expression sad. Regina was surprised by how she took Emma’s word without argument.

“I just don’t want to lose him,” she said.

“We understand,” Emma replied. “We’ll do what we can.”

“Within reason,” Regina added. “I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

“We should get to Henry,” Emma said. “Belle, can you get the hat and meet us at Mary Margaret’s?” Belle nodded and disappeared into another room. Emma turned to Regina, who said,

“Let’s go.”

The two women raced out of the shop, exiting out of the front door onto the sidewalk.

“Well, well, well,” said a high-pitched voice, “look who finally came out to play.”


	13. A Beginning and an End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter!

Emma ran right into Regina’s back when the brunette stopped short in front of her. She shook off the impact, stepping to the side to see Rumplestiltskin standing in the middle of the street and holding Henry by his shirt collar. Snow and Charming were a few paces away, worry painted all over their expressions.

“Moms!” Henry called.

“Just the people we were coming to see,” Rumple said. “The Savior and the Evil Queen returned from the Enchanted Forest. And just did you manage that? I think I smell some _Twue Love_ in the air.”

“Let Henry go,” Emma said, standing tall beside Regina. Rumple gave his signature laugh.

“Now why would I do that, dearie?” he asked. “I have him right where I want him.”

“Because we have something that can defeat you,” Emma bluffed. She snuck a look at Regina, who somehow kept her expression neutral. Emma had to admit that the woman _was_ good at deception.

“I hope you don’t mean the dagger,” Rumple replied with a wave of his free hand. The curved blade appeared in his grasp. “Because I happen to have that already.”

Emma heard movement behind her and she turned slightly to see Belle peeking her head out of the shop door.

“Don’t be so sure,” Emma said confidently. The Dark One just chuckled again.

“Give it up, Savior,” he replied. “You can’t defeat me. But we can make a deal.”

“Don’t,” Regina said as Emma simultaneously asked, “What do you want?”

“Why, only the most powerful magic in the universe,” he answered. “The True Love between dark and light magic is something rare indeed.”

“Why would we agree to that?” Regina spat. “So you can put us under another curse? I don’t think so.”

“I guess your son isn’t worth much to ya, then,” Rumple said, pulling Henry closer. “I can’t say I’m surprised. But I expected better from the Savior.”

“Emma!” Snow pleaded, straining against Charming’s hold. Emma turned her head to catch Regina’s gaze. The brunette closed her eyes ever so slightly as though to nod without moving her head. Emma knew it was time to try their plan.

“Can we have a minute to discuss?” Emma asked Rumplestiltskin, gesturing between herself and Regina.

“If you must,” he answered. “But I don’t have all day.”

Emma nodded and put a hand on Regina’s arm, turning them both away from Rumple and toward the shop. Emma’s gaze sought out Belle, who’d been watching all along, and she gave a subtle nod.

Belle stepped out from the shop, hurling the magical hat in Emma’s direction. Emma grabbed hold of Regina’s hand and caught the hat simultaneously, waiting for the tell-tale feeling of their combined magic to run down her arm.

It came a moment later, just as she turned in Rumple’s direction: the tingling that started in her shoulder and ran down the length of her arm and out of her fingers. The hat sprang to life in her hand and Emma pointed it in Rumple’s direction.

“Henry, get away!” Emma yelled. Thankfully, Rumple had released Henry in his surprise and the boy easily ran to the safety of his grandparents.

The hat did its job immediately, pulling the darkness from Rumple into its depths. Emma didn’t need to look over at Regina to know that she was doing most of the magical work. She could feel the brunette’s manipulation amidst her own sheer magical power. It felt so good to work in tandem like this again. She quickly wondered why they hadn’t done it more often.

Finally, Rumple fell to the ground, pale and limp and just Mr. Gold again, as the tail of the darkness disappeared into the hat in Emma’s hand. Emma stared at the hat for a moment in shock before Regina took it out of her hand. Regina let go of Emma’s hand, taking a moment to examine the hat.  

“It worked,” Emma said in disbelief. Belle ran past them, falling to her knees at Gold’s side, as Henry, Snow, and Charming rushed toward the two women.

“You did it,” Snow said immediately, pulling Emma into a hug.

“Don’t be so sure,” Regina said darkly, staring down at the hat in her hand. “Something feels wrong.” Emma pulled away from her mother, taking a step closer to Regina.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “We got the darkness out of Gold. It worked, right?”

“I—“

But before Regina could finish, the darkness leapt out of the hat in a menacing cloud of black tendrils. Regina threw the hat to the ground, but it didn’t help. The darkness wound its way around her, consuming her.

“No!” Emma shouted. “I won’t let it have you!”

“Save yourselves!” Regina yelled. Snow, Charming, and Henry instinctively stepped back.

“I’m the Savior,” Emma insisted. “It’s time I saved you.”

She didn’t listen to Regina’s protests as she hurriedly searched for the Dark One’s dagger. It laid on the ground beside the fallen Gold, right where he’d dropped it. She sprinted over to it, grabbing the handle and racing back to Regina.  

“Regina,” she said, holding the dagger out, “I can’t let the darkness have you again. Not when you’ve worked so hard and come so far. You saved me from the tower. The least I can do is return the favor.”

“Emma, no,” Regina pleaded. “Don’t do this.” Emma’s heart stopped a moment when she saw tears in Regina’s eyes.

“We have True Love now,” Emma replied, feeling adrenaline and the remnants of magic coursing through her. “You’ll find me again. And you’ll save me. I believe in you, Regina.”

Before Regina could answer, the darkness latched onto the dagger, winding its way up Emma’s arm. She felt it like ice through her bloodstream, filling her with a foreign weight and simultaneously pulling her away from Storybrooke. She could vaguely hear Regina’s voice, but it was muffled and far away. She strained to make out the words.

Suddenly, with a flash of regret, Emma realized that she’d never told Regina that she loved her. They were going to be separated by one of the strongest forces in the universe and she hadn’t bothered to tell her True Love that she did, in fact, love her.

Emma opened her mouth, pushing against the blackness that struggled to suffocate her, and tried to get out the words. But it was in vain. Before Emma could say anything, the darkness swallowed her up.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much to all of you that stuck it out through this story! I had so much fun writing it and I loved getting all of your reactions!
> 
> Do not fear, I intend on writing a sequel! I'll start it immediately and post once I have a chapter written. It's going to be called "Courting the Darkness" and it'll explore the idea of Dark Swan without adhering to the canon of the current season. I hope you'll stick around and read it! :) 
> 
> Until then, Viva la Swan Queen!


End file.
